


Chronicle IV - Envy

by airmanon



Series: Ten Deadly Chronicles [4]
Category: Evillious Chronicles, Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Gen, Multi, possibly mature
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 21:43:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9923393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airmanon/pseuds/airmanon
Summary: This is the fourth of the Ten Deadly Chronicles, a remake of the story originally told in the parody song series Seven Deadly Sins at Freddy’s. Five Nights at Freddy’s belongs to Scott Cawthon, and Evillious Chronicles belongs to mothy.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Lyrics by: airmanon

November 11, 1993  
At around 7AM, Mike Schmidt had dashed over to visit Jessica Davidson, but he learned from her mother that she had gone to his house to meet up with him and Chris. As Mike biked over back home, he was starting to wonder if he would spot either his mother Clarissa or his cousin, Maria Fitzgerald there as both might have reasons for showing up.  
When he got home, he did see Chris and Jessica speaking with Mike’s uncles Jeremy Fitzgerald and Fritz Smith, but he also noticed a cloud-gray-eyed male with black hair that look in a number of ways like Balduino DeCiel (almost reminding him of his own doppelganger, Nightmare). When Mike came in, Jessica raced over.  
“There you are Mike!” Jessica exclaimed, “We were just getting word about what happened the night before.”  
When Mike sat down at the table, Samuel DeCiel quickly introduced himself. Mike then asked, “What happened?”  
Sam looked down, “Thing is Mike… remember when Frederick told you about Javed?”  
Mike nodded; Sam then explained, “Because of Maria’s attempt to rescue me, Javed called her a traitor and she wound up getting injured badly. Frederick and my brother were able to save her from having her SOUL destroyed, but… it’s going to take some time for her to recover. Balduino and Mrs. Afton are with her to help her recover.”  
“Oh dear,” Mike uttered.  
Jeremy then said, “Pardon the interruption, but didn’t you mention that there was one Sin of the original Seven that Maria hasn’t been able to acquire yet?”  
Sam nodded, “That’s the Pizza Cutter of Envy. By some miracle, despite it activating, Leviathan hasn’t taken over. I can sense it somehow.”  
Mike frowned, “Let me guess. I should try and get that Vessel if I can?”  
“Please?” Sam pleaded, “I don’t know how much longer she can hold out.”  
Mike nodded, “I’ll do what I can, but there’s just one problem: I’ve only noticed four animatronics and of all the souls involved, none of them seemed to have the Vessel of Envy.”  
Chris then pulled out some papers, “I was doing some research on the matter myself last night. Man, were these hard to find, but I think these articles should give a heads up.”  
Mike, Jeremy, and Fritz looked over the papers. Jeremy frowned, “Ah yes, the fifth missing child. That has to be the Sinner of Envy based on what we know.”  
Mike was really feeling uneasy. He felt he should know more but doesn’t. Mike started to head up to his room. “Please excuse me a minute,” he stated. Jessica followed. She could tell Mike was hiding something, even if he doesn’t know it himself.  
Mike had locked the door to his room behind him, unaware that Jessica was listening in from just outside. Lying down on the bed, Mike then asked in a quiet voice, “Did you follow me here, Nightmare?”  
No response it seemed. Mike closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. What he didn’t know was, just after he asked, Nightmare did show up: just outside the 18-year old’s room. Jessica gasped a little when she felt a cold, clawed hand on her shoulder. She left her bag at the table so she didn’t have her antenna with her. She turned around fast and was about to punch whoever it was, but she was able to stop herself in time when she saw it was Nightmare. Then again, he looked like he was ready to block the punch with his other hand.  
“Nightmare, what’s going on?” Jessica whispered. She had a feeling that he didn’t want others to know that he arrived.  
“Well, Michael called, so I tried to visit,” Nightmare replied, “but of course, the door is locked.”  
Jessica however suspected that Nightmare had answers, which was why she asked, “Do you know anything about the fifth missing child?”  
“Ah, Charlotte,” Nightmare chuckled as though thinking back to a time years ago, “She certainly was an assertive one. No doubt she tried to fight until the end.”  
Jessica’s eyes widened. She only knew of one girl named Charlotte, and that was the daughter of Henry, one of the founders of Freddy’s. But wait, how would Nightmare know? Unless her hunch really was right.  
Nightmare could tell by the look in Jessica’s eyes as he whispered, “You might be going a few steps ahead of yourself, Jess. Perhaps another day I can answer that question you have?”  
“Alright,” Jessica said. Unlike a number of others who met Nightmare, Jessica was not afraid of him whatsoever. Sure he may have startled her at least once but he never truly scared her yet. Jessica then asked, “Nightmare, if you know so much, why are you waiting for specific moments before revealing it or having us try to figure it out on our own?”  
Nightmare leaned in closer to whisper, “Because the pieces aren’t all in place. I guess you could say I’m a ‘Guardian of Secrets’ that has to be careful not to overwhelm anyone wishing to know the truth.”  
“I see,” Jessica replied, “Still, so long as you’re not trying to harm Mike, I don’t see any problem.”  
Nightmare smiled. Leaning back, he then vanished into the shadows again. Jessica blushed, feeling a little embarrassed. She quickly dashed downstairs again to talk to the others.  
As the Amber-eyed girl approached the table, she noticed the others were talking about Nightmare. Fritz in particular was divided on the matter as Sam insisted that Nightmare meant no harm, but Jeremy was suspicious as he knew Maria had a reason to be wary (even though he didn’t know why). Plus, Jeremy pointed out that Nightmare was arguably a bit forceful when he took over Mike’s body during Night 2 because of what Mike described.  
As Jessica grabbed her bag, Chris then said, “Yo, Jess! Any thoughts on this Nightmare?”  
Jessica was a bit flustered and the blush on her face was noticeable, “Uhm – I – I think he has his reasons for acting this way. Maybe we just need some more time to figure out just who he is?”  
Chris raised an eyebrow, “You met him when you went upstairs didn’t you?”  
Jessica lowered her head in frustration. Looking back at the others, she then took a deep breath and replied, “Yes, but Mike tried to see if Nightmare would show up.”  
Needless to say, Jeremy and Fritz were alarmed. Jeremy checked the doors; they were all locked. Sam however pointed out that Nightmare, like himself, is able to use the shadows to maneuver so he could’ve hidden in anyone’s shadow to get inside. Chris sighed, “I can confirm that. He did hide in Mike’s shadow at least once before.”  
Jessica decided to tell the others about Nightmare calling himself a ‘Guardian of Secrets’ during that encounter. She then said, “I have a guess about who he is, but I want to wait a bit to confirm it before I say anything.”  
Jeremy sighed, “If you’re going to do that, I suggest you be careful. Based on how differently you’re reacting now compared to other times, Nightmare’s not like anyone else you’ve had to put up with.”  
‘I know,’ Jessica thought to herself as she nodded.  
Meanwhile, in the Theater that Connects Life and Death, Maria had tried multiple times to get up out of the bed she was lying in, only for Balduino DeCiel and/or Clarissa Afton to insist that she rest up.  
“I don’t think I should,” Maria replied, “The Vessel of Envy’s still out there; Nightmare may have helped us save Sam but I don’t think he can be fully trusted-”  
“Why is that?” Balduino asked, “I don’t think you or Mike really explained that to the rest of us, and I want to understand what the problem is.”  
Maria sighed as she lay back down, “You’re right. I can’t explain Mike’s reasoning, but I can at least explain my own.”  
That night, Mike had arrived in Freddy’s at 11:20PM. Why had he arrived later? Rain. That, and making sure Chris was going with Sam to the Theater that Borders Life and Death and not trying to get into the establishment. Leonsel and Jill were in the Dining Hall, and were surprised when they saw Mike was dripping wet and shivering.  
“Mike!” Jill exclaimed, “You tried to come here despite the rain?!”  
“No choice in the matter,” Mike explained, “Sam asked me to locate the Vessel of Envy for him.”  
Leonsel then said, “The Pizza Cutter. It’s not going to be easy. I better just spell it out for you since it’s going to be tricky this Night: On Camera 2B there’s a poster that sometimes changes. There’s one specific image that you need to find on that camera to get the Sinner to show up.”  
“I see,” Mike frowned, “but what happens if I can’t get it to show up?”  
“I have an idea!” Jill chirped, “You know how I helped with the time freeze last night?”  
Mike nodded. Jill continued, “Well, from what I’ve been reading, the concept of where my power originated used to play the part that Envy does. Maybe I can use that idea to freeze time in a way to allow you ample opportunity to get the Vessel of Envy to show up!”  
Leonsel then hastily interjected, “I better warn you Mike! If you get the Sinner to show up, you need to return to the cameras again to make ‘em go away, so you need to be fast or else you’ll have to reset the Night.”  
“Got it,” Mike nodded. As he and Jill were heading down the East Hall towards the Office, he wound up seeing someone in the kitchen that he was sure shouldn’t be there. It was a cook who looked to be his age, but unlike Nightmare, this guy was NOT a palette swap. This male had hair of a golden-blonde, brown eyes that were so dark Mike almost thought they were black in color, a figure that looked awfully feminine despite still being seen as a male, and a disposition that appeared eternally cheerful. However, Mike could sense something was horribly wrong beyond his unusual unease with this person; by now he was familiar enough to realize that a demon was there. Mike gulped – it HAD to be Leviathan.  
It was 11:40PM now, but before Mike could react in any way, the male seemed to teleport right at him getting up in his face and tackling him to the floor. Despite the male figure, a female voice giggled and said, “I’ve finally found you Mikey!”  
The look on Mike’s face however showed a mix of surprise and a feeling that he SHOULD recognize the voice, but doesn’t. However, Mike saw the silhouette of Leviathan behind the two, looking poised to try and grab something. Mike did a rolling maneuver, causing him to be on top of this person but mainly for the purpose of putting himself between the golden-haired person and Leviathan.  
Mike also saw the Pizza Cutter in the person’s hands. The blonde screeched in a way unlike any screech Mike heard before. It was more unsettling than anything he encountered thus far besides Nightmare.  
As he heard that screech, the Pizza Cutter began to glow gold. The flashback was starting. Jill heard the commotion and rushed over, freezing time to make sure the OTHER animatronics don’t cause any trouble. Leviathan tried to reach for the stranger’s SOUL, but Jill summoned a gust of wind, blowing the demon back. Leviathan glared at the girl, “So there WAS a missing Sin! I tried to tell them, but they all ignored me!”  
Jill nodded, “You had the opportunity to take her soul. Why did you wait until now?”  
Leviathan scoffed, “We had a deal. Charlotte wanted to be with her friend again and refused to hand her soul over until she had him.”  
Jill then approached, “But is it necessary to take another’s Soul? Euthalia Asmodeus found a way around it.”  
Leviathan stepped back a bit. What she and Jill failed to see was that during the commotion, Mike’s seemingly motionless body moved and his eyes glowed Scarlet again. Nightmare took over. Grabbing the Pizza Cutter, Nightmare stashed it in Mike’s pocket, using the cloth to hide the handle as it couldn’t quite fit completely unlike the Vessel of Gluttony.  
As he did so, Charlotte’s body faded to a more transparent form. Without the Vessel of Envy, she couldn’t maintain a physical body. Nightmare summoned two of his red stars to pick up the blonde and whispered, “You have found him, but he can’t remember you now. Give him time and you’ll be free like the rest.”  
Leviathan immediately felt her power fade. “No,” she whispered as her green eyes widened with fear, “how did he-?”  
Nightmare set the motionless Charlotte back down in the kitchen before meeting up with Jill. Jill looked at Leviathan and said, “I know both of us have stained our hands with blood one way or another. But if I know Michael, he’d be willing to show Mercy. So let me ask you: Can you remember who you were?”  
Meanwhile, in the flashback world:  
Setting: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, ~1984  
Mike looked around. From what he could guess, this was after the first round of murders but before the second.  
“Michael!” called out that female voice.  
Mike turned around, it was that same golden-blonde person, but now Mike could tell that it was indeed a girl. He noticed that she seemed to have a few mechanical toys with her. He felt like something was familiar, but why couldn’t he remember it?  
The girl, Charlotte, despite her sunny disposition was saddened when she saw the look on Michael’s face. Just as the creepy voice whispered, he didn’t remember her.  
“Michael, it’s me Charlie,” the girl replied, “Don’t you remember me?”  
Mike thought something clicked but it felt like whatever clicked in his mind slipped out of reach just as quickly as it came in. He shook his head sadly, “I’m sorry Charlie. I feel like I should remember you, but it feels as though the memories sink just out of reach whenever one gets close.”  
Charlie sat down feeling sad. Mike sat down next to her and said, “I don’t think they’re lost forever. I just – think I need some help in jogging my memory.”  
Charlie smiled, “Alright, but, how did you make yourself sound creepier? I heard some whispering just before I got here?”  
Mike face-palmed as he suddenly shouted, “NIGHTMARE!”  
Back in the Office, Nightmare laughed heartily, “You’ll thank me later Mike! I got the Vessel of Envy for ya!”  
“Well, thanks I guess,” Mike replied, “But how-”  
Mike’s eyes widened though as he realized that Nightmare basically did something close to pick-pocketing. “You little-!” Mike shouted, but again he felt like he was yelling at himself which was why he couldn’t finish the thought.  
Nightmare smirked. Since time was frozen thanks to Jill speaking with Leviathan, he could step into the flashback world himself with no trouble.  
Jill then asked, “What was it that you were envious about?”  
Leviathan had fallen to her knees. She realized that this girl wielding the Eighth Sin had to have been related to Leonsel since, although it wasn’t magic the olive-haired girl wielded as far as the demon knew, Jill’s silver eyes burned with the same intensity as Leonsel’s. And that same intensity was bringing back memories for her.  
“I was always the one who was belittled,” Leviathan replied, “I tried to make a name for myself only to be called a witch. I was going to be burnt at the stake when the cult saved me, but it only lead me to feeling my true cause of Envy. Lucifer had secured a high enough position in his hometown that none dared question his faith; Belphegor’s diligent personality meant that he was too valuable to lose in the eyes of the government; Mammon’s wealth allowed him to bribe those trying to oppose him; Beezelbub had Carlos to help keep the religious zealots at bay; Old Man Satan was able to use his age to take refuge with the cult away from the eyes of the church; and Euthalia had her lover Diego supporting her. I had nothing. I wanted to become immortal if only so I could find my own place.”  
Jill put her hand on Leviathan’s shoulder, “How did you know there was an Eighth Sin, and why didn’t anyone believe you?”  
Leviathan sobbed, “Unlike the others, I couldn’t contact Leonsel directly, no matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I practiced. I tried to tell the priests who were preparing the ritual, but they were in such haste to summon him that they paid no heed. I then tried to tell the other 6, but all of them dismissed it one way or another. Of them, Euthalia was the only one who might’ve believed me, but she was still grieving over Diego’s death – she was in no position to act on it. Lucifer accused me of acting out of my Sin and wishing to take the glory for myself – even after I offered him a chance to take all the credit if he told Leonsel. Old Man Satan grew impatient, saying that he could wind up dying at any point if we waited to get one more Sinner – and that lead the others to siding against me.”  
Back in the flashback, Mike was talking with Charlie when Nightmare walked in. Mike felt truly uneasy, almost like a small child alone in the same room as a monster. Charlie stood up, “If you know so much, why don’t you just tell us the truth?! Why make us wait?”  
Nightmare smirked, “Feisty as usual Charlotte? Even if you can handle it, Michael’s not ready yet. For that matter, there’s still the issue of the culprit.”  
Mike then asked, “Are you plotting something, Nightmare?”  
Nightmare smirked, “I knew you’d catch on Michael. The problem is, in order for this to work out, there are some things to be done. We still have work to do.”  
Mike shivered as he felt as though something cold was creeping up his spine. What was unnerving him the most was how he felt like he was connecting with his doppelganger, as if deep down he knew exactly what was going on and his conscious mind was just feigning ignorance to hide a real part of him.  
Nightmare then smiled. Despite the fangs, Mike could tell that the scarlet-eyed lookalike was trying to pull off his mother’s patient smile. The ebony-haired male then said, “Truth is, I came to provide – shall we say – a little supplement to the flashback. You noticed how Maria was just as suspicious of me as you are?”  
“Yeah,” Mike replied, “And I know this goes beyond the fact that Javed asked her to look for you and your fellow Nightmares.”  
Nightmare smirked. Turning towards Charlie, he then asked, “Charlotte, would you please?”  
Charlotte felt uneasy (and irritated at how Nightmare called her by her full name), but she nodded. Mike remembered how his friends and family mentioned Charlotte was the daughter of Henry, his dad’s co-founder. ‘That would explain the toys she has,’ Mike thought, ‘If Henry was the one building the animatronics then it’s no surprise that he’d be able to make stuff for her too.’  
A time skip later and Mike saw the scene where Leviathan and Charlie were making the agreement to activate the Sin of Envy. From what Mike saw, Charlotte insisted that she not give up her SOUL until she found her friend again.  
Charlotte then said, “I’m going to start the song. It’s a bit longer though.”  
Mike nodded, “I’m ready. Since it looks like Jill froze time in the real world, I don’t have to worry about dying.”  
To Mike’s surprise, the scene jumped to a place all too familiar as the song began.  
Setting: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza – October 31, 1993  
Just before the lyrics started, Mike was shocked when he saw someone that he didn’t expect to see: Chris, having somehow arrived as a visitor and being just as confused as Mike was.  
“Chris?! How’d you get here?” Mike asked.  
“I don’t know man,” Chris replied, “One moment I was sleeping in that Theater, and then in the dream I was having, I saw that guy Nightmare who asked me to follow him and then the next thing I knew I’m here.”  
Mike looked at Nightmare, and at that moment the other two stars came back.  
“I used Star Power to get you over here,” Nightmare replied, “I figured you’d want to see this.”  
"In the corner of Ursatsune,  
is a yellow bear who lives in a pizza shop.  
With a mysterious attitude  
and enigmatic presence,  
he is the talk of the neighborhood."  
Mike however noticed something. Even though the lyrics talked about a bear, Mike saw that it was Charlie but with bear ears – he then asked, “How come you looked like a man when you entered?”  
“I was using the Pizza Cutter to materialize in that world ever since this place opened again,” Charlotte replied, “But doing so caused me to take a form that, gender-wise, matched the animatronic I haunted which happened to be male.”  
“Looks like it was a yellow bear of some sort,” Chris remarked as he folded his arms.  
“In other words,” Mike asked, “A Golden Freddy?”  
“Sure, let’s go with that,” Charlie replied. She knew that the bear’s name was Fredbear, but the look in Nightmare’s eyes hinted to her that he’d prefer it if she not correct him. For some reason she was beginning to feel uneasy.  
Mike then noticed that there were some people who were talking to each other. One of them was that same waitress who Mike remembered was a victim of the Lust incident.  
“Gosh, just who is he?” the waitress asked.  
“I don’t know,” replied another woman, “but he sure is cute. Why couldn’t he try to save us from that musty cove?”  
“I thought I saw another man there,” the waitress replied, “Maybe Charlie was afraid that he’d fall under the spell too and thus can’t do anything.”  
“Maybe he loves someone who stayed out of the Cove,” chirped a third person, “and that if he or she was in trouble, that would be when Charlie would’ve tried to save us.”  
Mike looked at Charlie. Charlie then said, “Truth is, I was using Charlie as an alias since the form I took turned out male. Despite this, I was actually worried that Adam’s charms would affect me.”  
“That’s hard to say,” Mike raised an eyebrow, “On the one hand, Balduino was immune despite disguising as a girl, but considering Jessica also didn’t seem to be affected, I can’t really say whether you’d be affected or not. Plus, keep in mind Leviathan was with you, so that might play into things.”  
“Still, better safe than sorry, right?” Chris asked, “That’s why you stayed away, right?”  
“Right,” Charlie said before continuing to sing.  
"What was always on his mind was  
his dear friend's unfaithful attitude.  
'Even though he has someone like me,  
he never comes home to see me.'"  
Mike however looked at the man that flashback!Charlie seemed to have been looking at. It wasn’t Mike, but he did wear the uniform. While the three men recognized the man’s voice, Chris’s eyes widened as he exclaimed, “UNCLE?!”  
“Wait,” said Mike, “You mean to say the Phone Guy who left those messages for me was your uncle?”  
“Even I didn’t know that,” Nightmare admitted.  
“Yeah,” Chris nodded, “He’s often called me via phone, which was what got me using it. However, one day he suddenly stopped calling. That’s what really got me interested in joining the news stations – to investigate what happened to him.”  
Mike felt like something stabbed him in the stomach. He remembered what the manager said, but realized that it was likely a lie.  
Chris then said, “Thanks for not trying to get me to leave Mike. If anything’s going to help me understand what happened to my uncle, this is it.”  
Mike then said, “Thank Nightmare. He’s the one who got you here in the first place.”  
Chris nodded and, looking at Nightmare, stated, “Thanks man for getting me here.”  
“Don’t mention it,” Nightmare smiled.  
"But I have to concentrate on my work now.  
I carry my pizza cutter in one paw.  
The pizza cutter my parents used to use  
The more you sharpen it, the better it cuts."  
Back in the Pizzeria, Jill was making some progress and it was about to culminate. She asked once again, “Can you remember your human form?”  
Leviathan was shaken up. Through all the questions Jill was asking, she wound up remembering happy memories as well as unpleasant ones. In her own envy, she failed to realize it back then. Leonsel came by as well having made some tea a little bit ago. As Leviathan looked at the cup, which had a gilded pattern on it, she then felt as though something heavy lodged itself in her chest, right where her heart would be if she were still alive.  
“I… I remember,” she finally spoke.  
During this, Maria was talking to Clarissa and Balduino about her issues regarding Nightmare.  
“Wait,” said Balduino, “You’re saying you know about those Missing Souls and that Nightmare’s the reason why they vanished?”  
“Yes,” Maria replied, “As ashamed as I am to say this: the first 3 wound up vanishing in part because I asked them to help me locate the Nightmare Animatronics, as this was back when I was trying to help Javedward – I mean Javed – with gathering information.”  
Clarissa was amused at the accidental portmanteau, but she then asked, “Do you know why he’s doing this?”  
“Not really,” Maria admitted, “If I had to guess, it may have to do with revenge for the incident 10 years ago.”  
Clarissa looked a little shaken up. Maria sighed, “I’m sorry, Aunt Clarissa. I don’t know just what exactly is going on here. I’m just telling what I know.”  
“I understand,” Clarissa replied, “It’s just… so much seems to have changed ever since that day…”  
Balduino put his hand on Clarissa’s shoulder, “It’s okay, Mrs. Afton. Nobody would’ve guessed that things would’ve happened the way they did.”  
Back in the flashback world, Charlotte looked at Nightmare to see if he wanted to add anything, but he made a motion indicating that he wanted her to continue.  
Setting: Same location, November 1, 1993  
"The neighborhood's the same as always.  
Such a calm and peaceful life, don't you think?  
I saw him today at the Pirate's Cove.  
Who is the boy next to you?"  
Mike looked at the man next to Phone Guy. He felt a mix of feelings: anger as though the adult did something wrong, fear as though that man was capable of causing the same fright as the animatronics themselves, sympathy as he seemed to be reflecting on a past wrongdoing, and above it all, the same sense of familiarity as Mike felt he should know this person, but doesn’t.  
"With a crimson vest suiting him well,  
you seem friendly with that handsome boy.  
I couldn't stand that sight so I turned and  
left that place right there and right then."  
Mike had noticed that while Phone Guy was tinted gold, the man with the crimson vest appeared in normal colors to him. While this man’s eyes were darker, his skin and hair color were the same as Mike’s. Chris on the other hand was watching Charlie who went to the kitchen, and had to drag Mike along.  
Nightmare frowned. Mike was likely going to learn something too soon, but there was nothing he could do. The ebony haired male sighed, “Unlike a chessboard, even pieces on your side can act outside the plan. Guess I’ll just have to adapt to this.”  
"But I have to concentrate on my work now.  
I carry my pizza cutter in one paw.  
My cheeks would be wet with tears if I could cry  
as I slice pepperoni red like that vest."  
Chris then asked, “You said you used that Vessel for years? Is that why you mistook my uncle for Mike?”  
Charlotte sighed, “Yes. I’m… sorry about that. Seems like materializing a body that way made me more vulnerable to the Sin itself. And yet I only realized it after the Pizza Cutter was taken away from me.”  
Chris frowned, “and until Afton’s gone, you and the others are going to keep at it? Man, no wonder Mike had such an easy time getting the job. Nobody else would take it!”  
Mike then said, “I think Jeremy said that he would’ve tried except your uncle was just too good at the job.”  
Time then skipped to night. Mike realized that it was 9PM and thus no sign of Phone Guy in sight. However, he saw the man in the crimson vest. Mike noticed that he had a badge similar to his mother’s, only this one had the name “Todd Afton” engraved on it.  
Mike’s eyes widened, “Brother?”  
“Oh gods, why?” Todd responded. Mike realized that Todd heard him but couldn’t see him.  
“Am I hearing things?” Todd asked himself, “First mother, now my brother? No. that didn’t sound like him from before. Is he still alive?”  
“Todd,” Mike spoke. Todd turned in the direction of the voice and spoke despite getting choked up by tears, “Michael… I don’t know if you can hear me. Wherever you are, I’m sorry. Had I realized what I was doing, I never would’ve-”  
“It’s okay,” Mike replied, “I’m… afraid I don’t remember what happened. I’m trying to figure this out myself.”  
Todd wiped his tears on his sleeves, “They said it was 6 years, but it was 10 years since then.”  
Todd took a deep breath, “I won’t blame you if you can’t forgive me. That Charlie though… he’s reminding too much about him. I can’t just let that go unanswered.”  
Mike’s eyes widened, “Todd, wait!”  
Todd did stop, but as he glanced back, he then said, “I’m sorry. It’s time I paid my penance for what I did.”  
Mike felt horrible. He raced after Todd, knowing it was futile, but still wishing to at least understand what was going on.  
Chris grumbled, “Wasn’t that exactly the sort of foolishness you and Leviathan counted on Charlie?”  
Charlie simply replied, “Yes.”  
Mike caught up just in time. He rushed in and tried to block the pizza cutter by grabbing Charlie’s wrist with his hand, but then he remembered what happened back in the Gluttony Flashback. Looking up, he saw that he had indeed only managed to grab Leviathan’s wrist and couldn’t stop Charlie from killing Todd. However, Mike did realize that Todd tried to fight back, despite the fact that he ultimately failed.  
Suddenly, everything turned black.  
Nightmare glared at Mike and said, “I can tell by the look on your face that you learned something earlier than I hoped you would, but I suppose that’s the nature of things.”  
Mike then asked, “Is this one of those ‘supplement’ bits you talked about?”  
Nightmare then said, “That’s what I’m about to show.”  
With that, Nightmare pulled out the four Scarlet Stars.  
Setting: The Underworld, that same night.  
Mike noticed that unlike the flashback, nothing seemed to be tinted any color, except that the edges of his vision were tinted Scarlet, similar to what happened with the Mist-Blue Tints back in the part of the Gluttony Flashback where Clarissa Afton was going through her final moments. So much of the place was dark though.  
Mike’s heart raced a little when he realized something else: one Scarlet Star was being used on him. He was tied up, floating, and unable to speak. Naturally, Mike tried struggling out, but it was no use. Chris and Charlotte were also looking around, but they couldn’t locate Mike either.  
Mike froze when he heard Nightmare whisper, “I can’t let you change the past by calling out to him. Please, be still.”  
Mike, for what was probably the first time in years, truly felt helpless. He still tried to struggle, but deep down he knew it was hopeless. He could only watch as the scene unfolded in front of him, knowing that if he could break free he might be able to help, but at the same time understanding that he can’t break out. To add to the guard’s dismay, he saw that Nightmare stayed next to him, ready to reinforce the binds should he escape. Mike hadn’t noticed that the scene was paused due to both his own attempts to struggle out and Chris and Charlotte’s wandering around trying to locate him.  
When the Mist-Blue eyed male felt fatigue overcome him, he went limp everywhere except his head in an effort to stay awake. Nightmare, upon noticing Mike had given up, smiled and snapped his fingers. The realization that the scene was paused alerted Mike enough that he no longer felt so tired as to fall asleep, but he still didn’t try to struggle out again.  
Todd’s heart pounded. He knew he was going down to the Underworld, but still he felt uneasy.  
“It’s you,” spoke a voice that seemed cold like ice and sharp as an icicle. Mike realized it was Maria, the Master of the Backroom.  
“Cousin Maria,” Todd spoke, his voice somewhat quiet but filled with shock. Chris then said, “I still can’t believe Maria’s basically in charge of where the souls of the dead go. How does she keep track of it all?”  
“Don’t know,” Charlie shrugged, “Ask Maria when you get the chance.”  
Maria sighed as she pulled out the Knife, “On the one hand, I’m still mad at that prank you pulled on Michael.”  
Even though Todd had fear in his eyes, he forced himself to stay. Maria could tell that his intentions were honest, and as she put away the Knife, she spoke, “On the other hand, your desire to atone is true, and your actions since that day truly reflect the struggles of one wishing to right what went wrong. As such, I’m willing to let you have a chance at mercy.”  
Todd was surprised, “Mercy? Despite what I-?”  
“He’s still alive,” Maria interrupted, “Miraculously, he survived.”  
Todd was relieved, “Thank goodness. If there’s anything I can do…”  
Todd couldn’t finish his thought. Maria, though she didn’t smile, did relax a bit as noticed by the expression on her face. Mike also realized that despite Chris and Charlotte both trying to speak to Todd and Maria, neither of them responded. ‘Todd’s only able to hear me?’ Mike thought. Nightmare, as if he read Mike’s mind, nodded.  
Maria seemed to hesitate, as though she was wondering if she should find an alternative. Eventually, she came to a decision. She then said, “Actually Todd, there is something I could use your help with.”  
“What is it?” the man replied.  
“Thing is,” Maria explained, “Someone I know asked me to track down a group of machines known as the Nightmare Animatronics. I think your Soul-Energies resonate with one of them enough that you could help.”  
Todd remarked, “Sounds like you’ve been at that task a while.”  
“I have,” Maria replied, “They’re an elusive bunch. If I can just catch up to them, I’ll finally get that job done. But if you don’t want to do that, I could find-”  
“I’ll do it,” Todd replied with a seriousness that hinted that he already understood what was going on, “After all, I’m the one whose actions likely lead to their creation in the first place. If I don’t do it, then who will?”  
Maria sighed a sigh of relief, “Thanks, Todd.”  
With that, Maria pulled up a Foxy Mask. Todd shivered a little as he remembered that mask all too well. Maria then said, “I was able to salvage this mask. I think if you use it, it might be able to help us find them.”  
Todd gulped, but he was determined to right what went wrong, so he took that mask when Maria handed it to him. At the same time, Todd (and Mike for that matter), noticed that Maria seemed to have felt apologetic as hinted by her eyes (despite her efforts to hide it). Todd realized that Maria’s job as Master of the Backroom must be a tough one, knowing that she likely had to cause a number of souls to endure hardships, whether as punishment for Sins they refuse to repent for or as part of the trials needed to atone for those very Sins committed.  
Just as Todd was going to try and reassure his cousin that it was alright, four bits of Star Power appeared behind Todd. Todd turned around to see who it was, but the being that manifested shocked both of them. Mike felt sick in the stomach, for he knew just who it was.  
As for Chris and Charlie, they already had seen Nightmare before, but still they did not expect this to happen. Chris could tell by Maria’s expression that the appearance of FOUR Stars must’ve been a sight rare enough that she was caught off-guard, but the 18-year old man that manifested from those stars was what shocked everyone. Mike suddenly realized: Maria may have been trying to follow those Nightmare animatronics for years, but this was the first time she met Nightmare himself.  
This man’s skin was as white as snow; his hair was ebony like Clarissa Afton’s hair was; his eyes glowed scarlet red like the stars he used to manifest himself; even though he seemed like he was able to see without glasses, he was wearing a pair of jet-black frames (Mike realized that aside from the color of the frames and the absence of lenses, Nightmare’s glasses looked exactly like his own!). He had fangs instead of regular teeth (and Todd was pretty sure he had a second set of teeth behind those fangs), his hands ended in claws that were made of cold steel, his torso showed hints of a second mouth where his belly would be, and at times he seemed to be transparent enough that Todd could see that instead of bones, he had a metal endoskeleton.  
This humanoid being wore almost entirely jet or ebony black clothing, and it was torn in a number of places, especially around the area where the implied belly mouth is. While the upper part looked like he was wearing the type of coat a businessman or magician would wear, the rest of it looked like the security guard’s uniform aside from the hat and badge: jeans, sneakers, and a collar shirt underneath the coat. It seemed that the only two pieces of clothing he wore that were perfectly intact were his hat and bowtie. Both items were of a golden color, and the hat had an ebony-black band around it.  
Other than those differences, this man looked exactly like Mike, and that’s what shocked the two. Todd also felt something deep down, but he didn’t want to believe it. From what he could tell, it wasn’t his little brother Mike, and yet at the same time it was. Todd began to wonder if even those four Scarlet Stars belonged to his little brother. He couldn’t think straight. He had no idea if this was an illusion or if Mike really was there right in front of him.  
Maria, though she never met Nightmare before now, had once caught up to Nightmare Fredbear thinking he was the leader only to learn from him about the existence of Nightmare. Based on her past encounters, she shook herself out of her own disbelief and asked, “So you finally show yourself, Nightmare?”  
The Nightmare that stood before the cousins chuckled darkly. Todd was even more shaken up as beyond the filter, Nightmare sounded exactly like his little brother too.  
Nightmare then said with amused scarlet orbs, “I just find it all too amusing, Maria. You’ve done this trick twice before. The first time you found out about Nightmare Fredbear, and the second time you found out about me. Do you really think it’s going to work in getting all of us to show up?”  
Todd remembered that two of his friends, both of whom were with him on that day, committed suicide for no apparent reason. He turned to Maria hoping for answers. Maria explained, “I had no role in their deaths, nor do I know why they committed suicide, but… I did give them the same choice I gave you Todd.”  
Todd nodded. He could only guess that other Nightmare animatronics did something to his friends. He turned to face Nightmare, trying to look defiant, but his eyes failed miserably. Nightmare smirked, as he could see Todd was torn by emotions: fear at what was standing in front of him, guilt for what he did 10 years ago, and longing – both for atoning for his wrongdoing and for seeing his friends again. What Todd couldn’t see was that Nightmare too had mixed emotions besides the amusement at Maria’s efforts: resentment and rage aimed at the man trying to stand defiant but failing miserably inside, delight at being able to satisfy a desire for revenge, and yet, as if some Ghost was in the coding of his being, a willingness to restrain himself enough to allow Mercy eventually – a hope for forgiveness somewhere in the future.  
Mike could tell though that Nightmare knew something he wasn’t stating. The Nightmare that was sitting next to Mike simply stated, “I already was fully aware of Javed. By this point I was making sure to visit Sam as well as Jill.”  
Mike nodded to indicate that he understood. When he looked back at flashback!Nightmare, Mike saw that he suddenly grabbed Todd, forcing the Foxy mask on the man who was shaken up. Todd was too overcome by shock to fight back, and once the mask was put on, Todd was out like a light: limp and unconscious in Nightmare’s clawed arms.  
Maria tried to rush at Nightmare to wrest Todd out of his grip, wielding not the Knife of Wrath, but rather pulled out her two bits of Star Power which took the form of small swords. Unfortunately, Nightmare reacted using 3 of his 4 stars (the one he didn’t use was being used to maintain his manifestation), using 2 of them to knock Maria’s stars out of her hands and using the 3rd to knock Maria back. She hit a wall, but as she was about to get back up, that same star that knocked her back then pinned her to it as though a hand grabbed her neck – tight enough to keep her grasping at it out of instinct, but loose enough that she was in no real danger of suffocation.  
Nightmare’s face turned serious as he asked Maria, “Is holding up your end of the bargain with him really worth all the trouble?”  
When Nightmare let Maria go and called back his stars, Maria tried to give chase, but it was too late; with Todd in tow, Nightmare had gotten too far away for Maria to catch up. He soon vanished out of sight. Maria fell to her knees, knowing that she failed again. Her stars came back to her. Maria sighed. She knew this was too dangerous to ask anyone for help.  
Back in the Realm of Death, Balduino then asked, “and you have no idea as to where Nightmare took him, Billy, and Cameron?”  
Maria shook her head, “I’ve searched everywhere in the Realm of Death: all five parts and nothing.”  
Clarissa was starting to suspect the same thing Jessica had a hunch about, which was why she said, “Maybe if we just talk to him, he would explain what’s going on?”  
“I doubt it,” Maria sighed, “He’s always hiding secrets of one kind or another, and he knew about my deal with Javed so I doubt he’d tell me if I asked him.”  
Clarissa frowned. She was considering looking for Nightmare herself to talk to him, but for now she had to stay there to help Maria recover.  
Maria stopped trying to get back up as she sighed, “It’s so frustrating. Three times I tried to ask someone for help, but three times I wound up putting them in danger instead.”  
“But weren’t there other missing souls?” Balduino asked.  
“That’s true,” Maria replied, “and Nightmare got to all of them too. What’s different though is that I tried to keep them out of it.”  
“To keep them safe?” Balduino asked.  
Maria nodded, “That’s also why I tried not to get you involved in the whole Javed mess.”  
Back in the pizzeria, the Demon of Envy quietly said, “Gilda. My name is Gilda.”  
Leonsel’s eyes widened. Sure Euthalia managed to remember her name thanks to history, but he never anticipated his daughter Jill getting Gilda Leviathan’s soul to return to her from words alone. Truth was, the god was feeling bad again because he had forgotten their names himself. Gilda looked at her leader. She remembered one thing that he hated, and that was whenever someone did something horrible but never had Karma strike them while they lived. Apparently this also applied to himself as well.  
“My lord,” Gilda asked, “Is something wrong?”  
“Why have I not been punished for my wrongdoings?” Leonsel muttered. Gilda frowned, though her eyes showed sympathy. Jill put her hand on her father’s shoulder and asked, “Isn’t there still time? To make up for all that?”  
“Not enough for the sheer weight of it all I’m afraid,” Leonsel replied, “From letting my own anger cause this disaster in the first place to not supporting you when I should’ve to even forgetting the names of the Seven who were there back then.”  
Jill seemed reluctant, but then she spoke, “If you really feel like you need to be punished, I think I know someone who could help with that.”  
Leonsel secretly felt a sense of dread. He knew she had to have been talking about Nightmare. Having thought back, Leonsel noticed one thing that no one else except for perhaps Todd apparently sensed about Nightmare: Nightmare’s energy signature matched Mike’s perfectly. Leonsel didn’t quite know why it was the case, but he knew that if Jill was thinking of asking Nightmare to help, then inevitably Mike – who had already gone through so much – was going to be involved.  
Gilda then asked, “You already have something in mind?”  
Jill frowned as she clung to Leonsel, “He already has something in mind, but it won’t come to fruition. Not for a while anyway.”  
Leonsel, while worried about Mike, at the same time felt a sense of relief knowing that Karma will catch up to him. Hugging Jill, he then said, “Thank you.”  
Back in the flashback world, Mike looked at Nightmare wondering if the animatronic doppelganger was going to let him go. Nightmare looked at Mike, seemed to consider it, but Mike’s eyes widened with dread when he saw Nightmare’s eyes showed amusement.  
‘This is gonna suck,’ Mike thought. Just as he figured, instead of letting the guard go, Nightmare used a second star to reinforce Mike’s bindings. As if adding insult to injury, Mike felt his nightmarish lookalike hold him like a child holding a favorite plushie waiting for a movie to start.  
‘Oh Jessica, where are you?’ Mike thought, wanting to plead for help but of course he couldn’t make any sounds due to the Stars that tied him up. Alas though, Jessica wouldn’t be able to help out tonight. Shaken up by her own close encounter with Nightmare, she headed home to do some research to see if her suspicions could hold water. She was preparing to face Nightmare, but wasn’t ready yet, and Nightmare made sure not to bring her into the flashback world which left her in no position to help Mike.  
“Yo, Mike, where are you man?!” Chris shouted.  
Mike tried to squirm out, but it was even more useless than ever. Suddenly, Mike closed his eyes as a forest-green light shined in his direction. Mike realized that it was Chris, who figured out how to use his bit of Star Power. Charlotte was right behind him.  
Much to Mike’s dismay, Chris started laughing. “Oh gods! Nightmare my man – why’d you wrap up Mike like a mummy? It’s over a week past Halloween!”  
“Well,” Nightmare replied, “You may have noticed Mike was able to call out to Todd. I can’t have him take this tale off the rails now, can I?”  
Mike looked at Chris with a mixture of annoyance for the laughter, and desperation at trying to beg his friend for help. Chris picked up on both cues, “I’m sorry Mike. I shouldn’t be laughing, but how would Jessica feel if she finds out about this?”  
Chris however was trying to sneak over to a position where he could get Mike out. Unfortunately, Nightmare called upon a third star and grabbed Chris by the back of his shirt, lifting him up a bit.  
“I wouldn’t if I were you Chris,” Nightmare warned, “I can understand your desire to help your friend, but do you really think you have a chance?”  
Chris however was willing to risk it if Mike wanted to. But when Chris looked at his friend, Mike shook his head as though trying to tell Chris, “Don’t bother trying to get me out of this mess. I don’t want you getting hurt because of me.”  
Chris then asked, “You sure, dude?”  
Mike nodded. Chris then sighed, “Alright Nightmare, you win. I’ll back off for Mike’s sake.”  
Nightmare let Chris go. “Sorry Mike,” Chris said, “I thought I could get you out of there, but Nightmare’s got us both in Checkmate it seems.”  
Nightmare grinned. He seemed pleased when he heard Christopher use the word Checkmate.  
Charlotte sighed as she triggered a time skip, taking them back to the gold-tinted pizzeria the next day: November 2, 1993.  
"The neighborhood seems to be uneasy today.  
Was there a crime done last night?  
I saw him today in front of the stage.  
Who is the boy that is next to him?"  
Mike and Chris were both alarmed when they saw the man that was next to Phone Guy. It was Nestor Archibald, Frederick’s older brother. Chris realized something was wrong.  
“I remember hearing about that guy,” Chris said to Mike, “From what I gathered, the syndicate behind the Virus Incident years ago had blackmailed him, threatening to kidnap Frederick if he didn’t go the mansion where the Virus was being tested. Despite being a civilian, he wound up helping the Investigation Unit Squad that was sent there in stopping the Virus, and earned TWO bits of Star Power for his actions. But… why is it that I don’t sense them on him?”  
Mike looked at Chris, wishing to respond, but knowing he couldn’t talk. Chris then said, “Then again, considering what Frederick mentioned about suppressing Star Power, maybe Nestor suppressed one or both of them after finding out that his little brother died anyway.”  
Mike nodded to indicate that what Chris said was the idea he was thinking too. Chris had an idea and tried tossing his Star at Nestor to get the guy’s attention.  
"He looked sad today and next to him  
that boy with the lovely voice was comforting him.  
That brown belt looks good on him I think.  
Ah, so that's the type of kid you like."  
Chris felt dismayed as Nestor was too focused on trying to comfort his uncle to notice, but as Chris’s star returned to him like a boomerang, he felt Nightmare glaring at him as though silently warning him that if he continued messing around like that he was going to be tied up like Mike. Both Mike and Chris knew why Phone Guy was upset: it was because he knew Todd was dead. Nestor was trying to reassure him that it was going to be alright, but Chris realized that Nestor seemed to have reservations, as though he knew he was a marked man too.  
Chris pouted, but then Nightmare remarked with an amused tone, “Okay, I’ll admit, I messed around like that too when I first started using Star Power.”  
Chris laughed a little, but his face showed concern about Mike’s condition. Chris could tell that Mike was able to breathe, but the poor guy looked uncomfortable.  
Chris’s thoughts were interrupted when Charlie pouted, “What are you Nightmare? The spotlight stealing bear?”  
“Now, now, Charlie,” Chris said getting between the two, “There’s just a lot more material to cover in this flashback compared to the others, right?”  
Chris laughed, but it was a nervous laugh. Mike couldn’t help but smile though at Chris’s attempt to ease the tension.  
Charlie sighed, “It really doesn’t help that because of Rambling Ari, I have to sing this song at a faster pace compared to the others.”  
Mike hadn’t paid attention before but now that Charlie mentioned it, the music WAS playing at a pretty quick clip. If he had to guess, based on the difference between Charlotte’s speaking speed and the speed at which she was singing the song was going about 1.5 times as fast as it would’ve been.  
Nightmare smirked, “You seem to be handling it well though.”  
Charlotte didn’t answer, but Chris could tell by the frustrated look on her face that she probably had to practice it multiple times and most likely messed up a fair number of times in the process.  
"But I have to concentrate on my work now.  
I carry my pizza cutter in one paw.  
With my eyes filled with sorrow,  
I start slicing meat brown like that belt."  
Again, they skipped ahead to that night before Phone Guy got in to start his shift. Chris noticed that Nestor dropped a journal and picked it up. Chris was shocked at what he read. It seemed that Nestor was also part of whatever it was that Todd did, but Nestor was beating himself up in the entries because it seemed like he KNEW something bad would happen but failed to act on it. Not only that, but it seemed like Archibald’s parents snapped after both the death of their younger son and the role their surviving son had in this. To Chris’s horror, it seemed like Nestor’s parents were thinking of abandoning the teen, at least from what the boy understood. Even more surprising, it seemed that Nestor learned during the Virus incident that before he was born, Mr. Archibald was in an affair with another woman. By some cosmic coincidence she and his wife both gave birth to a boy on the same day: Mrs. Archibald’s son was stillborn while she survived; the lover died giving birth, but the child survived – that child was Nestor himself. Chris’s eyes widened; from what Nestor understood, Mr. Archibald swapped Nestor with the stillborn boy as a cover-up. Mike however thought that it did explain why Nestor and Frederick looked so different. Chris read more: it seemed like after that incident (not the Virus Incident, but the one that Nestor was beating himself up about), Todd was taken in by Phone Guy due to having no place to go, and Nestor one night snuck out to visit his friend but partially because he smelled something suspicious in his own house and was afraid that it was poison. When Nestor returned later that night, the smell was gone, but both of his parents were dead.  
Chris thought about it; he remembered hearing from another reporter that the Archibald parents committed suicide and the date given matches up with the night that Nestor snuck out. Nestor had called the police to report what happened and was suspected himself, but had the alibi of being in Todd’s place with Todd himself confirming Nestor’s story. The thing was written off as a gas leak, but Nestor’s writings indicated that he was suspecting something else, but didn’t know what it was.  
Chris looked further, especially since the flashback was paused to let Chris read. Apparently after that incident, Todd convinced Phone Guy to let Nestor stay with them. Things weren’t over yet though, as the entries after that described horrific nightmares, particularly involving a Freddy-like animatronic, only with sharp teeth and claws (‘similar to Nightmare’ Chris thought), but also appearing to be made of smaller bear like objects chattering to themselves in a language only they and this Nightmare Freddy knew. Nestor’s entries mentioned how every time he saw that brown bear, he felt like was looking in a mirror. Apparently, he initially tried to escape, but those smaller bears, Freddles he called them, clung to him, pinning him down on the bed forcing him to look into Nightmare Freddy’s eyes, which glowed the same Orange-Brown color as the Stars he had suppressed. One was suppressed because of Frederick’s death, and the other was because of his guilt regarding that incident.  
Chris got to the last entry. After Todd “disappeared” (and that word was actually in quotes indicating that Nestor was sarcastic with that part), Nestor had fallen asleep early so he could be alert at night, but had a nightmare involving 3 other “Nightmare Animatronics” – but unlike the Freddles who chattered and Nightmare Freddy who stared at him silently or screeched, these three spoke with the voices of his friends Billy, Cameron, and Todd: the other 3 involved in the incident.  
They told him about Nightmare and what he did to them. Mike’s eyes widened with shock and he felt both horrifically disgusted at Nightmare for doing this, and for some reason he couldn’t figure out, sick in his stomach as though guilt was swelling up – the kind of guilt that could only plague one who did something wrong.  
One by one, they tried to atone by helping Maria locate the beasts. First was Billy, whose voice came out of the blue-purple bunny. They came across the Red Fox, but when said Fox told Maria about the golden bear, she faltered a bit, but just as she was about to react, she was knocked out by a blow from behind. When she awoke, Billy was gone.  
Cameron, who spoke from the toothy yellow bird, was next. He helped Maria in locating Nightmare Fredbear, but he then mentioned that the true leader was one named Nightmare. Maria tried to fight Nightmare Fredbear to get more information, but in her distraction, the four Nightmares ranked beneath Fredbear made off with Cameron. By the time Maria realized it, it was too late as Fredbear shoved her aside to catch up with his fellow Nightmares.  
Finally there was Todd, who was speaking from the Red Fox who seemed to be leading the Trio. Mike’s heart sank when the scene Todd described matched up with what Nightmare showed earlier. It only got worse. Nestor had asked the trio what happened, as while Nightmare already had Todd in his hands, Billy and Cameron were taken to him. Mike’s and Chris’s eyes widened as the latter read that Nightmare stuffed the souls of his victims into the very Nightmare Animatronics that Nestor saw before him.  
Apparently Nestor woke up after that, but he wrote that he wouldn’t be surprised if his friends tried to tell him to get out of town if he could.  
Nightmare smirked, “The other three did try to warn Nestor to flee town, but the young man woke up before he could get the message.”  
Chris set the book down to let the scene continue. Nestor had turned around to grab his journal book. “That yellow bear was looking at me while handing pizza to that customer,” Nestor sighed, “I guess this is where it ends. I just hope the other two will be safe.”  
However, this delay gave Maria enough time to intercept the brunette. “Nestor!” she called out.  
“It’s been a while, Maria,” Nestor remarked, but he could tell she seemed desperate to tell him something.  
Maria pleaded with Nestor. She tried to get him to turn around and go back home. She warned him that someone in there wanted to kill him, and that if he dies, Nightmare was going to get to him. Nestor looked at Maria feeling bad: He realized that she was desperate to stop him somehow. He couldn’t bring himself to look at his old acquaintance’s face as he spoke, “I’m sorry Maria. I’m a marked man anyway. Why should I prolong the inevitable?”  
Maria gasped when she saw that Nestor dashed past her to get into the pizzeria anyway. Knowing she had only one chance to save him, she raced after him. Chris followed Maria, but in Nightmare’s case, he teleported himself (with Mike in tow) into the kitchen. Nestor had broken in via the ventilation system (which was different compared to Todd who picked the lock on the front door). Nestor hoped to catch Charlie by surprise if it meant saving the others, but unfortunately, he accidentally broke the video portion of the camera as he entered the kitchen. ‘So THAT’S why the Kitchen Camera’s audio only!’ Mike thought.  
As Nestor entered, he looked around. No sign of that bear. Charlie suddenly appeared right behind Nestor. Maria at this point leapt out of the vents, having begun to outright FIGHT Charlie.  
“Nestor, Run!” Maria shouted as she tried to wrest the Pizza Cutter out of Charlie’s grip. Chris took note that Charlie was wearing the crimson vest that Todd had on earlier. Unfortunately, just like how Maria wasn’t ready for Euthalia Asmodeus to pop up when she tried to take the Pirate Hook from Adam, Gilda Leviathan (who only knew herself as Leviathan back then), manifested. She grabbed the Pizza Cutter before Maria could take it from Charlie, and threw it at Nestor. The blade from the tool had struck Nestor in the back, killing him on the spot.  
Maria stared horrified at how she failed to save him. Charlie knocked the hazel-eyed girl to the side to grab the vessel. As the blonde did so, she coldly remarked, “We both cared about Mike. Why did you try to help one who caused him so much pain?”  
Maria only replied, “Because he and the other three truly were trying to atone for their Sin ever since that day.”  
Charlie would’ve asked more, but Maria raced off to the Underworld. She was hoping to catch up to Nestor before Nightmare could get there.  
Mike noticed how the scene transitioned smoothly from the gold-tint of Charlie’s tale to the Scarlet-Edged frame of Nightmare’s extra bit. As the scene cut over to the Underworld, Chris looked at Nestor, who was missing his belt. Nestor wasn’t bothered by that, for he seemed to be looking around resigned to his fate.  
Suddenly, Nestor heard footsteps behind him. As the brunette turned around, he sighed, “You were waiting for me to show up – weren’t you? Nightmare?”  
As Nightmare stepped out of the shadows, he let out a simple but dark “Heh” as a response to Nestor’s question. Unlike the monstrous humanoid form he presented to Todd, Nightmare made himself look more human as he showed no signs of the transparency that revealed his metal endoskeleton.  
Nightmare smiled as he eyed the man that stood before him alone. Unlike Billy who struggled with every ounce he had – unlike Cameron who was screaming and shaking from fear – and unlike Todd who was overwhelmed with shock and tried to deny that what he was experiencing was real – Nestor seemed limp – knowing the fear but resigned enough to make it easy.  
Nightmare spoke in a voice that seemed unusually gentle – almost serene, “You seem awfully calm about your fate, Nestor Archibald.”  
Nestor looked down at the ground. Tears were flowing down his face thinking about how painful it was going to be.  
“I was doomed to die anyway,” Nestor replied as he tried to dry his tears with his sleeve, “I just hope my sacrifice could keep Envy from running rampant.”  
Chris exclaimed, “He knew about the Sin of Envy?!”  
“Somehow,” Charlie replied.  
Mike was also surprised at this. Nightmare smirked when he heard that, and stepped closer to the brown-eyed brunette until Nightmare had Nestor within arm’s reach. The ebony-haired male – gently but firmly – grabbed Nestor by the chin, forcing the human to look at the other man’s glowing Scarlet eyes. Nestor’s heart pounded, but he fought back any urges he had to resist. He knew it was futile.  
While Nightmare had one hand on Nestor’s chin, he pulled out a Freddy Mask with his other hand. Nestor’s eyes widened as he recognized the mask. Before Nightmare could put it on, however, Maria got there.  
“Nestor!” Maria called out.  
“Oh, hi, Maria,” Nestor replied.  
“Why?” Maria asked, “You know what Nightmare’s likely going to do to you. Why are you willing to suffer such a painful misery?”  
Nightmare removed his hand from Nestor’s chin and put it behind the brunette’s back to keep him from escaping. Nestor glanced back and replied, “Simply put, I deserved it. I may have been young and foolish 10 years ago, but I should’ve known better and I should’ve stopped Todd and the others.”  
Nestor then looked at Nightmare again as he added, “if I can’t protect little James and Teresa, then this is my only chance at possibly atoning for my Sins.”  
“Nestor, wait,” Maria pleaded. She reached out, but didn’t do anything else. By this point, she knew she couldn’t save Nestor. Unlike with Todd and the others, by the time Maria caught up to Nestor, he was already in Nightmare’s claws and resigned to whatever it was the demon had planned. Nightmare smiled as he put the Freddy Mask on Nestor. When that happened, the brunette fell into a deep sleep. Though Nestor’s face showed no joy, it looked like his face was peaceful as he slept.  
Nightmare seemed willing to encourage this cooperation, as he gently carried the sleeping man with both arms, almost like he cradled the brunette in them. As the ebony-haired man did so, he asked Maria “So what did Edward do to help you? After all, you boyfriend never used the Hacked Star you gave him, and that object was all that Edward gave you, wasn’t it?”  
Maria, flustered, then protested, “Balduino’s not my boyfr-”  
But before Maria could finish her sentence, Nightmare was gone.  
After Maria told Clarissa and Balduino about that particular Nightmare encounter, Balduino nodded, “It’s true. I never really used that Hacked Star, especially after I got my own bit of Star Power to use after the Lust Incident.”  
Maria had long since opened up to Balduino about Javed and the Nightmare Animatronics. That was why she trusted him with helping her rescue Sam from the Abyss (that, and Sam is his younger twin brother). As the now-amaranth haired girl thought back, she remember how Balduino was mad, not at her for hiding secrets, but at Javed for basically causing Maria so much stress by holding such high expectations of her.  
Meanwhile, back in the flashback world, Charlotte once again advanced time to the next day: November 3, 1993.  
Chris noticed that the three women who were talking to each other a couple days ago were now restless as they heard that two men disappeared.  
"The neighborhood is growing restless.  
Had another crime happened last night?  
I saw him today in the Dining Room.  
Who are the two kids next to him there?"  
Mike felt something was wrong when he saw the two teenagers. Unlike Todd and Nestor, these two looked completely innocent.  
Nightmare glanced at Mike and explained, “Those two weren’t involved in the incident that Todd and Nestor were.”  
Mike looked at Nightmare. Chris then exclaimed, “Oh no, not Trick and Treat too!”  
Mike looked at Chris for answers. Chris then said, “Those two were such Halloween Fanatics that Uncle Scotty jokingly called them Trick and Treat.”  
"To the boy and girl who seemed too young,  
he adjusted his purple bow tie and her yellow hair pin.  
What do you think you're doing?  
What do you think you're doing?  
I know you like kids but this is ridiculous!"  
Chris realized that Charlie and Mike were both a little confused about Trick and Treat. Chris motioned his hand towards the boy with the purple bow tie and stated, “James here was Billy’s younger brother. Billy often tried to spook James, leading the little rascal to play tricks on his brother back. This habit of pulling harmless pranks is why he’s also been called Trick.”  
Charlie raised an eyebrow, “So the girl’s Treat?”  
Chris put his hand on the girl’s shoulder, unaware that the girl felt it and looked up after Scotty adjusted her yellow hair pin. Chris then replied, “Yep. Like Jack Mallory long ago, Cameron’s little sister Teresa always tried to give things to those she cared about. Since she was always cooking up tasty treats, she got nicknamed Treat.”  
Teresa turned around. Although she could just as easily have been looking towards the kitchen and saw the Charlie in the flashback, Mike thought she was looking at Nightmare. Mike couldn’t help but feel some sympathy, as poor Teresa looked nervous.  
“Teresa, are you alright?” James asked.  
“Um… I think so,” Teresa said, “I just feel like maybe we shouldn’t stay here too long.”  
Chris sighed, “Soon after Uncle Scotty took Todd in, it seemed like both Billy and Cameron committed suicide and both of their parents were murdered. Nobody knows who did it. Police suspected that maybe the two who committed suicide murdered their parents who clearly tried to fight back against whoever attacked them before they ended their own lives, but the Investigation Unit suspects something else was amiss because the same gas leak that supposedly accounted for what happened to Nestor’s parents was involved in these two incidents too. Trick and Treat were both in school when it happened. In fact, from what I learned, both Teresa’s and James’s mothers called the police during the incident, which is why when the two kids got home the authorities were already there.”  
Mike however realized that Teresa was hearing all that as the teenage girl grabbed a napkin to dry off tears and she was clearly trying not to cry.  
Chris looked when he noticed Mike’s expression.  
James couldn’t hear Chris, so he then asked, “Teresa, are you alright? Did Jacqlin say something?”  
Teresa shook her head, “No. Jacqlin didn’t say anything. Someone was just talking about back then.”  
Mike was about to ask who Jacqlin was, but then he noticed a doll that poked out of the girl’s bag. It seemed to have a Jack-O-Lantern head, but Mike wondered if the head was shaped like a pumpkin or a watermelon. He couldn’t tell from the distance.  
Charlie however asked anyway, “Who’s Jacqlin?”  
Chris then replied, “A Jack-O-Lantern sort of plushie that Teresa carries. It was a gift from her father whom some suspected was a sorcerer who made a pact with a succubus or some other kind of demon to gain power. It doesn’t help that even though Teresa’s father really is her father, there’s been some evidence to indicate that her mother isn’t hers biologically. Jacqlin was handmade, so it’s really special to her.”  
Jacqlin nodded. She didn’t say anything because other people were around.  
Chris then said, “On the other hand, both parents raised Teresa as their daughter, even despite the evidence suggesting otherwise.”  
When Chris realized that Teresa was able to hear him, he immediately backed off. It wasn’t because he was afraid of her; it was because he was afraid Nightmare would do something to him if he changed the past.  
"But I have to concentrate on my work now.  
I carry my pizza cutter in one paw.  
This is odd; was my pizza cutter always this color?  
I'll work hard again today!"  
Time skipped to that night again.  
“James, are you sure this is a good idea?” Teresa asked, clinging to Jacqlin and a small bag of snacks she made.  
“Come on now!” James insisted, “Didn’t you see that guy Charlie’s pizza cutter? It looked like it was stained with blood! That plus Phone Guy admitting that this mysterious chef has lingered after hours but always disappeared before he shows up? That’s gotta be the one who murdered Todd and Nestor! He might even be involved in the other Missing Children Incidents! He might be responsible for what happened to Billy, Cameron, and our parents!”  
“But,” Teresa meekly protested, “If we have the proof, shouldn’t we call the Police or Investigation Headquarters to report this?”  
“And get the restaurant shut down?” James asked, “This place holds special memories for Uncle Scotty. It holds memories for us too! If we stop him here and now, we can keep the pizzeria open and perhaps even be recognized as heroes! What do you say Teresa? Shall we do this, together?”  
“I’m scared,” Teresa confessed, “But I can’t let you go alone! If you’re going, then I’m going too!”  
Mike felt awful. Once again, there was a chance that he might’ve changed the past, but couldn’t. He looked at Chris, only to see that Nightmare used a third star to cover Chris’s mouth to keep him from talking.  
“Don’t try to play the hero Chris,” Nightmare remarked with a flat tone, “You and Mike seem to have some things in common.”  
Chris was frustrated with Nightmare. He was starting to realize that he may be connected to Mike in a way that goes deeper than what he would’ve initially guessed, but why would Nightmare make them both step back despite acknowledging the opportunities to change the past and play the hero?  
Chris tried to see if he could break Mike out using his Star but Nightmare used his fourth star to wrap Chris’s star in a bubble.  
“Nice try,” Nightmare smirked.  
Chris glared at Nightmare before looking back at the scene. James had brought a crowbar with him and pried a window open. Once it was open, he leapt in first before helping Teresa down. Unlike Nestor who went directly to the Kitchen when he broke in, the two teens wound up in Pirate’s Cove. By some miracle, Teresa was never a victim of the Lust Incident despite coming to Freddy’s frequently with James.  
Teresa peeked behind the curtains. Despite Foxy being OUT OF ORDER, she knew something was wrong.  
“James, we should find a place where it’s safe. Remember what Phone Guy said about the animatronics getting quirky at night?”  
James looked at Teresa. He may not have been able to sense the supernatural, but he realized that Teresa was feeling nervous.  
“Alright,” he relented, “Let’s get to the Office. We shouldn’t have to worry about losing power until midnight.”  
Before Teresa left Pirate’s Cove, she pulled out a chocolate wrapped in festive red wrapping and placed it just behind the curtain. Before the Visitors could get to the Office, Mike noticed Adam step out of the Foxy animatronic and pick up the handmade chocolate. He looked in the direction he heard footsteps coming from. Mike could tell by the look on Adam’s face: even though it’s been years, it had to have been Teresa who left that chocolate there.  
As Chris got to the Office, he saw James was checking the cameras, but made the mistake of checking CAM 2B. The yellow bear was there on the poster. When James lowered the camera, he froze for a second. Mike too felt horrified. He and James also wound up experiencing hallucinations when they saw the animatronic Golden Freddy. James grabbed his crowbar and tried to swing at it, only for something else to grab it – it was Leviathan.  
James’ shouting echoed down the Halls and Teresa tried to race after, but when she got to the Office, they were gone. Nightmare teleported himself and Mike to the Kitchen. Chris ran over there himself, his footsteps echoing. Teresa heard the footsteps, but she only dashed to the Kitchen herself when she heard James shouting again.  
Unfortunately for Chris and Teresa, it was too late to save James. With his final breath, James pleaded, “Teresa… run…”  
As James fell dead, Teresa ran to his corpse and cried.  
“James! I’m sorry – I couldn’t save you!” Teresa wailed, hugging his limp body.  
Charlie, who was almost at the point of Activating the Sin of Envy, laughed at Teresa.  
Leviathan stepped out with a dark giggle, “Well, well, it seems like only one more sacrifice is needed to Activate the Sin of Envy. Thanks to how often you materialized using the Vessel, we’re actually ahead of schedule Charlotte.”  
Teresa went quiet. She knew that name. She knew Charlotte was one of the missing children. Even so, she still murdered her dear friends.  
Leviathan summoned a curved dagger, “In that case, shall I finish the final part?”  
As Leviathan swung at Teresa, the girl glared back, leading to another shocking sight. Somehow the hand that Leviathan was using to try and strike Teresa down shattered like it was made of ceramic. Mike did notice one small detail: from around where Teresa’s eyes were when she glared, a small sliver of a bright orange light shot at Leviathan and hit her hand just before it shattered. The demon stepped back, and Charlie stared at her in shock. The dagger had fallen to the ground and vanished into stardust.  
“Wha- what is this?!” Leviathan and Charlie exclaimed at the same time.  
Teresa had dropped her bag of snacks in the Office, but she stood up, still glaring behind her as she spoke, “This way, you can’t kill anyone anymore, right Leviathan?”  
As Teresa turned to face the two, she pulled out a stick she had hidden in a secret compartment built into Jacqlin. Said stick extended itself into a staff meant for carrying a lantern. Mike couldn’t help but think back to his father’s axe that extended into a pole-axe. For that matter, Teresa hooked Jacqlin onto the top part of the staff and the plushie’s face lit up like it was a real Jack-O-Lantern.  
Chris shivered a little, but it was clear that Charlie and Leviathan were by far the ones shaking in their boots the most. Mike looked at Teresa. Now that she was poised to fight, she really did look like a witch. Even her beauty mark mole, which was a birth mark that was on her right cheek below her eye and below her glasses, looked like it could’ve just as easily been a Devil Mark. The 17-year old wore a black dress that had bright orange trimming. Perhaps the simplicity of the dress was what made her curves more noticeable compared to those of some of the other female victims. Her frame was somewhat petite, but here and now she stood with a determination that burned as hot as a star, making her seem bigger than her body. She wore a pair of white gloves that looked like they were opera-style. Although Mike realized that the materials used were actually cheap things, the way Teresa put it all together gave an illusion of a far wealthier appearance, as the bead bracelets she wore seemed to sparkle as though they were actually diamonds in the lantern light. She wore a pair of nylons under the dress, and her shoes were black with a heel so small it was almost unnoticeable. She had a circular locket around her neck with a crest engraved on the front cover. Although Mike couldn’t see it, inside was a picture of her and James. Her short wavy black hair was held back by that same yellow hairpin that Charlie took note of earlier. This allowed Mike to see the dangling earrings that Teresa wore. Again, he realized that they were made with beads (come to think of it, did Teresa make those accessories by herself too?), but again the lantern light seemed to make them sparkle like real gemstones.  
Mike’s eyes widened when he noticed something else: this girl had two stars before, but a third one was forming right there and then. The first was from all the work she put in to practice her crafts – both her cooking and her magic. The second was from accepting that her parents were dead and making the effort to move forward from there (which was exactly why she was urging James not to go to Freddy’s. To help him put the past behind him too.). And this third star was from right there and then: gaining the Courage to stand up against the Demon and Sinner.  
Leviathan glared, “Those stars… they burn the same bright orange as that amulet Lord Lusender promised that woman he’d give to her son Michael.”  
Mike’s eyes widened. Leonsel must’ve realized the errors of his ways by that point as he remembered the amulet he still wore.  
“Michael’s not here right now,” Teresa replied, “For that matter – you’ve been chasing Scotty the Phone Guy. What have I and the others done wrong?”  
“What are you talking about?!” Charlie shouted, “Mike’s there, isn’t he?! You’re in the way!”  
Leviathan’s hand grew back as she laughed, “How much can one little girl do by herself? Do you plan to kill me? Good luck with that!”  
“Enough!” Teresa shouted as she waved her lantern-staff. All three stars were in the Jacqlin lantern, but it seems that Teresa was channeling her powers through it as both Leviathan and Charlie were pinned to the wall, Charlie desperately gripping the pizza cutter.  
What followed next was something nobody expected. Through magic alone, Teresa was striking Leviathan down again and again, having realized that she must’ve played a part in Charlie’s behavior. Every time though, because Charlie still had the pizza cutter, Leviathan was able to recover. Unfortunately, even if it was only a little bit, this constant regeneration was using up the energy needed to Activate the Sin of Envy.  
It was 11PM now, and to Charlie’s shock, Leviathan had been struck down and regenerated 100 times by now. As Teresa was catching her breath, it seemed like she was calming down a little, having let her rage out on the one who played a part in her suffering. However, Teresa seemed like she wasn’t done yet. Mike looked to his left, he saw Jill was coming in. She looked much the same as before, except she wasn’t burnt.  
“If I can’t stop you like this,” Teresa said in a quiet tone, before showing almost a crazed grin as she raised her voice and cackled, “Then I’ll just have to destroy that Vessel of yours!”  
With that, Jacqlin seemed to light on fire from the Stars that burned within. Leviathan thought fast and – though it was a struggle – shot a small blast of magic making the floor right in front of Teresa slippery. Jill noticed the same thing Leviathan did: Teresa, in her own mad rush to avenge James’s death, was losing control of her own Star Power… just enough that it could potentially backfire: literally.  
Jill also saw what Leviathan did to the floor and shouted, “Teresa, WATCH OUT!”  
Unfortunately, it was too late. Teresa slipped on the floor and fell. When she dropped the staff, the flames hit the mysterious fluid that Leviathan casted on the floor and it ignited. Jill rushed in and tried to stop it, but it was too late. It lasted only a few seconds, but Jill was injured by the flames yet still alive… and Teresa was dead – burnt by her own magic.  
Jill picked up Teresa’s burnt corpse and fled, sorrow in her eyes as tears fell behind her. She tried to save someone but failed. The least she could do was give a proper burial to the one who fought against the Demon. In Jill’s haste, she failed to notice that Teresa’s yellow hairpin fell to the floor.  
Back in the Pizzeria, as Jill and Gilda were reminiscing, Gilda started to wipe tears on her sleeves, “That girl… thinking back, she reminds me of myself.”  
Leonsel said, “I can see that, but… what happened to Teresa after that?”  
Jill smiled, “Don’t worry! My friend knows where she is.”  
Leonsel closed his eyes to think. He can’t really blame Jill for trusting Nightmare as he arguably played such a huge supporting role based on what she told him, but can he be trusted with those souls that met him?  
Chris (who found that Nightmare let go of his bind after Teresa died) then asked, “Why wasn’t Maria there?”  
Charlie then said, “I wish I knew. I honestly expected her to pop up to try and save those two since James and Teresa really did turn out to be innocent, not for Teresa to fight back the way she did!”  
Nightmare laughed, “I can answer that.”  
With a snap of his fingers, Nightmare shifted the scene of the flashback to the Underworld again.  
“Darn it, no sign of Nightmare whatsoever,” Maria muttered to herself. It was clear to Mike and Chris that Maria was thinking of talking to Balduino about it as she looked at a keychain that he gave her sometime ago (Mike didn’t know of it but Chris learned that from Jeremy and pointed it out to Mike).  
However, Maria’s fox-ears (which normally [but not this time] were hidden under her hat during the time her SOUL was connected to Funtime Foxy but once she broke away from Javed became an optional thing) perked when she sensed it: two more Souls entered the Theater that Connects Life and Death. She was in the Underworld trying to find Nightmare if only to save the four souls that went missing in part because of her failure to protect them that she had no idea that two others broke in until it was too late to save their lives. She raced up to the Theater. They weren’t involved in the incident 10 years ago, but Maria had a bad feeling in her stomach that Nightmare would still try to get them.  
Meanwhile, in the Theater, Teresa used her staff to steady herself. Mike noticed that she tried to use her stars for something, but couldn’t quite focus it. Mike saw a brief image of the Kitchen just after she earned her third star. That was when he realized it: Teresa was trying to RESET.  
There was just one problem though: she couldn’t. Because Jill gave Teresa’s corpse as close to a proper burial as she could, Teresa couldn’t RESET, and she didn’t know about using her Star Power to manifest an artificial body. As the image shattered like glass, Teresa saw an image of where Jill buried her. Teresa felt a tear fall down her cheeks. Because someone cared enough to give due to the dead, she couldn’t turn back the hands of time.  
Shaking her head silently, Teresa started to walk around the Theater a bit. Benjamin Foley thought he recognized the woman because of the plushie that was hooked on the end of the staff, but Jay (the girl who had the initials JJ on them and looked to be Ben’s age but with angel wings) gripped Ben’s arm as she whispered, “Ben, she’s a witch!”  
Mike knew that Jay was simply afraid, but what could he do being tied up like this?  
As Teresa walked around the Theater, she couldn’t help but think back to happier memories. Oh, how she wished she could make more of those treats for her friends and family. She had started working with beads for jewelry making because she heard about how stones could have magical properties of their own.  
As for the matter of Jacqlin, Teresa knew that she was just a plushie the whole time, but used her imagination to pretend, and when she found out about the staff hidden inside the toy, Jacqlin always kept the toy as a means to defend herself having been inspired by Jessica Davidson’s habit of carrying an antenna she ripped off of a car to use to protect herself.  
“Treat! Teresa!” someone was calling to her, waking her from her reverie. She looked in the direction the voice came from – it was James, with an orange Bonnie Mask tied to his head in a way that didn’t cover his face.  
“James!” Teresa exclaimed, happy to see her friend but sad remembering what she failed to do, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t avenge your death.”  
James was sad realizing that she didn’t try to flee, but he regained his smile, “It’s going to be fine Teresa. At least we’re back together again!”  
“Ah – yeah!” Teresa nodded, but she couldn’t help but ask about the mask, “Where did you get that?”  
“Aw, this thing?” James asked with a smile, “I got it from a new friend I made. Come on! He’s really friendly!”  
With that, James took Teresa by the arm and started pulling her towards a deeper part of the Theater. Teresa picked up the pace to keep up, but she was having an uneasy feeling. She didn’t think it was a demon, but she felt that it might be someone with ulterior motives. As she ran, she also felt her heart sink a little thinking about how she and James lived. She may have had less confidence in herself, but she had tried to grow up and move forward. As a result, she was doing fairly well in school herself and was poised to at least head to a community college after graduating from high school, with the idea that she would transfer to a full university later on. She had somewhat dropped her old childish ways and was taking a more spiritual view to her magic as part of a way to cope with her situation. James on the other hand, despite being the more confident and outgoing one, was one who still held onto his childhood ideals far more strongly than she did. He did at least do decently in school, albeit not as well as she did.  
“Hey Nightmare!” James called out shaking Teresa from her thoughts, “Teresa’s here!”  
Teresa looked around. Where was he? Suddenly, coming from the shadows in front of James, a voice sounding friendly called out, “Sorry I took so long!”  
Teresa stepped back a bit away from the voice. Nightmare walked into view. Like what happened with Nestor, Nightmare was in a more humanoid form, hiding as much of his monstrous parts as he could. Mike then noticed something he didn’t see before since Nightmare’s pants looked like they were fully intact now: On the pant legs seems to be a crest of a Scarlet Star in the middle of a single burst of fireworks.  
James then introduced Nightmare and Teresa to each other. “I- it’s nice to meet you,” Teresa nervously curtsied.  
“Nice to meet you too,” Nightmare replied with a friendly bow. However, behind his friendly face, Nightmare could sense that Teresa both was close to his Star Level (as she had 3 Stars compared to his 4) and was probably a little distrustful.  
The three had talked for a bit, with James claiming that Nightmare was just stuck in a Halloween costume to explain his appearance.  
Teresa however, took a different viewpoint as she shook her head, “Nightmare… is that your ‘Sorcerer name’ Michael?”  
Mike was in disbelief. She seriously thought Nightmare was him?! Nightmare looked a little surprised himself when he replied, “Ahem, I guess you could look at it that way, but I think you’re mistaking me for someone else.”  
“I see,” Teresa said, but deep down she didn’t believe what he said. Based on what she could sense from James and Ben who she knew were dead, the deceased came off as cold without generating a source of warmth. This guy had four Stars, but they were too far away to generate the source of warmth that she sensed from him. Teresa knew that something about this guy was still alive.  
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Teresa inquired to change the topic, “My brother Cameron and his friends Billy, Todd, and Nestor all died at some point. Do you know where they are?”  
Nightmare smiled. Teresa may have been catching on to him more than most of the others he met by this point, but she could still be put in Check. “Yes actually,” Nightmare replied as he pulled out an orange Chica Mask, “In fact, I was just about to show James when you came by. Would you like to see them?”  
Teresa hesitated. On the one hand, she didn’t know much about Nightmare and for all she knew, he might be hiding darker motives. On the other hand, if he knows where Cameron and the others are, this might be her only chance at seeing them again. Her desire to see the others again won the day as she answered, “Yes, please.”  
When she took the mask from Nightmare, he pointed at a portal formed by 3 of the 4 stars he had over there (having called back the fourth one). James dashed on ahead, while Teresa walked over. Nightmare couldn’t see it, but Teresa never actually put the mask on. Just as she was stepping inside, she heard another female voice call out, “WAIT!” but just as Teresa turned around to see who it was, the portal closed.  
“Darn it!” Maria cursed herself, realizing that not only was she too late to save James and Teresa while they were alive, but she was also too late in saving them from Nightmare. Due to the fact that Maria was looking down at the ground catching her breath as she was wondering why she was failing so horribly at helping those around her whenever Nightmare was involved, she failed to notice that Nightmare was moving his four stars towards her. She barely had enough time to look back up when she suddenly found herself pinned to the wall by all four of those Scarlet Stars.  
Nightmare stepped closer, dropping part of his disguise to let his fangs and claws show again. Maria then asked, “Why those two as well Nightmare? They weren’t involved in ‘the Bite’! Why’d you take them away too?”  
Nightmare smiled, but it was the same dark smile filled with amusement that Mike was used to seeing, “If you’re worried about them, then no, I have no intention of harming those two because of that. They wanted to meet their siblings again, so I thought I might as well bring everyone together.”  
“Heh, how courteous of you,” Maria remarked.  
Nightmare knew she had a hint of sarcasm in her voice, but he paid no heed to it as he stepped closer to the hazel-eyed girl. Maria looked at him, wondering what he was going to do to her. He then said, “I have to commend you for your efforts in being the ‘hero’ – but…”  
‘But what?’ Maria thought. Was it because of her inability to stop Euthalia Asmodeus on her own? Was it because she foolishly got Billy, Cameron, and Todd into the mess they were in trying to gather information on the Nightmare Animatronics? Was it because in her attempts to save those three and Nestor she failed to realize the danger James and Teresa were in before it was too late to save them?  
Nightmare replied, “You opted out of RESETING when you had the chance.”  
Maria’s eyes widened as if she was stabbed in the chest by a thousand blades. Suddenly, one of her Amaranth pink stars glowed, causing a flashback within a flashback. Mike looked around. He had no idea where they were but it looked like they were underground somewhere in the Realm of Life. With everything tinted an amaranth pink, Mike realized that this was one of Maria’s memories. Maria was climbing around on wiring to keep to the walls and ceiling while avoiding the cameras. Her hair was brown, but her eyes were still the same hazel-color. She was outright wearing an Investigation Unit’s uniform, as the parts that were amaranth pink on the ghostly version of her were cadet blue in this living version.  
It seemed like Maria and Nightmare were watching this flashback much like how Mike was viewing the flashback worlds. This time though, Mike had to feel sorry for Maria because Nightmare decided to use all four of his bits of Star Power to tie Maria up to keep her from doing anything, but in her case, he did sometimes adjust the binds to let her talk.  
Mike had no idea as to what was going on, but then he saw a White and Pink Foxy-looking animatronic (minus the eyepatch and hook and with a tail!) looking around. Chris somehow managed to take his star back from Nightmare without the latter noticing and tried to whack the animatronic (which was Funtime Foxy) with it, but it went right through. The Nightmare that stood next to Maria didn’t seem to notice but the other Nightmare (the one that was holding Mike) did and was surprised at how Chris took his Star Power back.  
Chris then asked, “What is this? Flashback-ception?”  
Unfortunately, Funtime Foxy spotted Maria and let loose some sort of cloud from its tail. Maria tried to get out, but too late. Mike had no idea as to what it was or how much of the strange scent was let out, but it was enough to kill Maria as she fell to the ground. As she was falling, her two Amaranth stars circled her, and just as her corpse hit the ground, it vanished into light, leaving no trace.  
The flashback faded. Maria sighed, “I remember. I was planning to Reset-”  
“But you didn’t,” Nightmare interjected, “Isn’t the hero one who’s determined enough to never give up? To reset after situations like this? Why then did you back out of it, only to try to play the hero after the opportunity left?”  
Maria sighed, “There are many different kinds of heroes. I did consider resetting, and in fact, had I known how things would turn out, I would’ve chosen to reset then.”  
Nightmare looked at Maria, waiting to hear more. Maria continued, “The reason why I didn’t… was part of a bigger plan.”  
Nightmare’s eyes showed a hint of curiosity. So Maria also took to the chessboard? What sort of gambit was she playing that required her to die?  
Maria brought out her two stars to project a screen to show more of the flashback. Mike saw that the scene appeared to be somewhere from 1980 to 1982. He also saw that Todd was picking on that same Mist-Blue eyed boy that Mike realized was him as a child. However, he also noticed that Maria was talking to Todd to try and get him to stop.  
Mike couldn’t help but look at his child-self in that projection. He seemed to have been looking up at Maria, as though she was the hero saving him from his bully of a brother. Mike couldn’t help but smile as that memory resurfaced. ‘She might’ve been my cousin,’ Mike thought to himself, ‘but she really did seem like a cool big sis, what with trying to help me out.’  
This memory triggered another one for Mike – Maria had tried to teach Mike some of the tricks her father taught her for self-defense. However, Mike noticed in this memory that he couldn’t bring himself to hurt Maria, even though she again and again tried to reassure him that she’ll be fine.  
Mike looked back at the scene Maria was showing. It seemed like she was more projecting her thoughts rather than showing what really happened as the graphics seemed more like something out of a cartoon. It seemed like her father, Jeremy Fitzgerald, had been trying to investigate the death of a boy named Jack Mallory and realized that it was William Afton trying to summon Leonsel. As a result, he was trying to stop her uncle, but from what Mike could tell, Maria was suspecting that her dad wasn’t doing anything to help Michael’s situation.  
Mike however noticed through that image something else – Maria felt that her actions in trying to help Mike were only feeding into a cycle that was ultimately hurting him: Todd picked on Mike (especially since with Clarissa dead, she wasn’t able to stop him), Mike couldn’t protect himself, Maria tried to help Mike, but as a consequence, he thought he could rely on her to save him every time instead of learning to defend himself despite her efforts to do so.  
The scene then jumped to the void that Mike remembered was where he found himself just before resetting. Maria was there, about to reset, but hesitating. She was thinking about that cycle. She was scared, but she ultimately thought that by remaining dead, she could break that cycle.  
The scene paused as Maria explained her reasoning, “By letting time advance without me, I hoped that Michael would realize that he couldn’t depend on me to save him every time he was in trouble. Additionally, with my being gone, my dad would have a reason to look more closely into the situation if only to learn about what happened to me, getting him into a position where he could save Mike.”  
Nightmare clapped a little before speaking, “Impressive. For a while I was thinking your heart was too soft to try playing the chessboard. Instead I see that you actually have it in you. But, how then does Edward play into this?”  
Maria then replied, “It was right after I made my choice that I met him.”  
As Maria was telling this part, the amaranth colored screen displayed the tale.  
“Because I didn’t RESET, he wasn’t really aware that I had that option available,” Maria explained, “After we introduced ourselves, he offered me a chance to stop Afton if I would help him in finding information on a particular group of animatronics: the Nightmares.”  
Nightmare smirked, “Before 1983?”  
Maria paused a moment not expecting a question. When she regained her bearing, she admitted, “I don’t know how Edward was aware of you and the others either.”  
Nightmare seemed amused. Mike wondered if Javed was using a trick that Nightmare himself did as well. Maria then continued, “I agreed, and he handed me a star that had a glitch effect. Although he gave me that task, I asked him if it was okay if I also tried to stop my uncle in the meantime. He granted me that much, probably because he too saw my uncle as an enemy.”  
“I see,” Nightmare nodded, “And yet you never once used that Star, the only thing Edward gave you in return for such a difficult mission. For that matter, you said that had you known better, you’d have RESET. Why is that?”  
Maria sighed. She knew he was going to ask. She took a breath and then answered, “There were two things I wound up regretting because of my decision and my attempts to locate you and the other Nightmares. One was the fact that I wasn’t there to stop ‘The Bite’ when it happened. The other was that I couldn’t save Balduino. It was only after his death that I figured out how to use my own Star Power to materialize a body.”  
Maria couldn’t hold back the tears in her eyes as they silently fell. The screen vanished as her two stars returned to her. Nightmare looked at the woman, and realized that she had a point about there being different kinds of heroes. To Maria’s surprise, he let her out of the binds that tied her in place.  
Nightmare pulled out a Mangle Mask. Maria took it, clearly confused. Before she could say anything, Nightmare told her, “I can see why you came to the decisions you did, and the fact that despite the things you regret, your Stars remain unsuppressed – leads me to see that you really do have that determination in you. If you ever want to find the others and I, you’re welcome to do so.”  
Maria was stunned, but before she could say anything, he was gone. Chris looked at Nightmare and asked, “Had she ever tried looking for you since then?”  
Nightmare smirked, “Not before she broke away from Javed. With some help from Jill, I found out that after this, she confided in Balduino about the whole situation. He was surprised that Maria hid so much, but he has grown up since the days when the Sin of Pride was running amok. It was thanks to him that Maria ultimately made the decision to try and locate Sam, even if it meant breaking her ties with the Abyssal World. I’m fairly certain she’ll try to find ‘The Missing Souls’ soon.”  
At this point, to Mike’s relief, Nightmare finally let the guard go. Mike took a moment to catch his breath. “Thank goodness,” Mike gasped.  
“I’ve shown all I needed to show,” Nightmare replied, “No point in me trying to keep you from changing the story now.”  
However, before Nightmare could leave, he stood surprised seeing two figures he didn’t expect to see: Maria and Teresa. Teresa had managed to find a way out of wherever it was that Nightmare had the Missing Souls in and used her magic to help Maria instantly recover.  
Maria glanced between Nightmare and Mike, before looking at Nightmare and asked, “So you showed him?”  
Nightmare nodded. Maria walked over to Mike who finished catching his breath and said, “Mike – I’m… I’m sorry I couldn’t-”  
“It’s okay,” Mike replied as he put his hand on Maria’s shoulder, “You tried to do what you thought was the best you could do. Nobody’s perfect.”  
Mike couldn’t help but laugh a little as he added, “I mean, look at Leonsel! He’s a god and yet you’ve probably seen by now how much he recognized the mistakes he made!”  
Maria couldn’t help but laugh a little herself. She then looked at Nightmare. For a moment, Chris and Charlie wondered if the two were ready to fight, but the two simply nodded their heads in understanding. Maria learned from Teresa that those Missing Souls were just fine, but that Nightmare needed their help in the future. What nobody except for the two who were practically rivals until then realized was that Maria understood why Nightmare needed them… and because of what she knew about Javed, she decided that she had to prepare the same thing down the line.  
Charlie looked at Teresa – fear and regret in the former’s eyes. Teresa however seemed ready to forgive the situation as the look on her face showed.  
Mike realized that his past was likely going to be the subject of a future incident, but he pushed those thoughts away as he cleared his throat, “Ahem, Don’t we still have an Envy flashback to finish?”  
“GAH! You’re right!” Charlie exclaimed before glaring daggers at Nightmare, “You really are a spotlight-stealing-bear!”  
Chris laughed, “If this were part of a series of books, how much you want to bet that it would be twice as long as the previous entries were?”  
“Hmm,” Maria thought back, “Actually Chris, you might be closer to the bulls-eye than you think. Considering how the flashback portion is basically one story and from what I guess, you and Mike have seen two flashbacks worth of history, I would agree that double-length is a good estimate.”  
As the scene returned to the gold-tinted pizzeria on November 4, 1993, Charlie finally continued the song.  
"I've finally finished my work.  
If you're not going to come and see me,  
then I shall come and visit you - at work,  
so will you please notice me?"  
Mike suddenly remembered: All of this and he hadn’t even heard Phone Guy’s message for Night 4!  
"Red vest. Brown belt.  
Purple bow tie. Yellow hair pin.  
I put it on my head."  
Mike looked at Charlie, she was wearing those particular items.  
"I've finally become the  
type of friend that you like.  
How is it? Aren't I great now?"  
Chris did try to save Phone Guy when Golden Freddy appeared, but to his dismay, nothing worked. Mike noticed the pizza cutter glowing.  
“Sin Activated?” Mike asked.  
Maria and Teresa nodded. Mike headed over to comfort his friend, who was happy to know the truth about what happened to his uncle, but still upset all the same. Chris eventually calmed down and said, “I’m certainly glad to know that he braved it until the end.”  
“No kidding,” Mike replied having noticed Chica leave the Vessel of Gluttony in the Office, “Not only did he go at this for years, but all five of them had to gang up on him before he could go down. If that’s not a legendary feat, I don’t know what is.”  
That was when Mike noticed Chiquita and Carlos speaking with Charlie and Leviathan. Before Mike could make out what they were discussing, time jumped to the next day: November 5, 1993.  
"Today the neighborhood is chaotic.  
Now a man has gone missing.  
An entire family of five 'siblings'  
has been made missing by someone."  
Naturally Mike and Chris raised an eyebrow. Charlie pouted, “Ari wrote these lyrics, not me!”  
“Well,” Mike shrugged, “I guess in a way, those five were kinda like siblings to each other since it seems like they resided in the same place after what happened before.”  
"Besides that he was acting so awful.  
"Oh no" was all he dully said that night.  
It was like he was talking of a monster.  
It was like he was talking of a monster."  
That was when Charlie revealed the conversation she skipped. As it turned out, Chiquita revealed that she didn’t want to make the same mistake twice which was why she left the Vessel of Gluttony there in the Office. For that matter, Charlie reiterated to Leviathan about her refusal to give up her SOUL until she found Mike for real.  
"But I have to concentrate on my work now.  
I carry my pizza cutter in one paw.  
The pizza cutter that is now painted scarlet.  
The more you sharpen it, the better it cuts."  
At this point, Maria and Teresa both left the flashback world. Charlie however started laughing a nervous laugh as she realized that she might lose her soul. Just before the music ended, Charlie spoke two words that caused Mike to shiver a little.  
"IT'S ME"  
When Charlie returned to reality, she saw Leviathan and made no move to resist. However, after a moment of silence, Charlie looked up, wondering why the demon wasn’t doing anything. Gilda shook her head and said, “You can keep your soul Charlotte. I made a mistake thinking I needed it.”  
Charlotte was surprised. Gilda remarked, “You can thank Jill for jogging my memory. When I remembered who I was, my soul came back to me.”  
“Then who are you?” Charlotte asked.  
“Gilda Leviathan,” the green-eyed woman replied, “I don’t remember my last name, but I do know my first name.”  
The two talked for a bit. Charlotte asked Gilda why she let her focus on Phone Guy even though it meant that she couldn’t take her soul right after the Sin activated. To that, Gilda replied, “That was for my own reasons. You remember how I mentioned there were 6 others?”  
Charlotte nodded. Gilda continued, “One of them, Belphegor, exercised Diligence instead of Sloth. He still took the Demon name despite becoming an Angel, but one day he just vanished from the Heavens. For a while none of us knew what happened. Doesn’t help that the only other angel there, Jay, was still a child. I only found out much later that it was because Belphegor reincarnated – as Phone Guy.”  
Charlotte was surprised. Gilda remarked, “So truth is, even if the Sin Activated before Phone Guy was out of the picture, I would’ve wanted to end that guy’s life just to get him back on the job. I mean, come on! The Sin of Sloth activated without him! Why should he try slacking off now? Was he trying to compensate for failing to commit the Sin despite that not being the key reason why it failed in 1523?”  
Charlotte shrugged. Gilda then said, “Anyway Charlotte. I hate to say this, but I have to say good-bye. I learned from Lord Lusender that Euthalia Asmodeus is still alive, but being held in the Abyss by the man who sabotaged the ritual. I don’t care about the fact that he sabotaged it since we were missing a Sin anyway, but I can’t let him hold Euthalia there as a prisoner.”  
Charlotte nodded, “Alright then.”  
With that, Gilda headed off. She knew about the barrier, but in all the years before William Afton began to try and summon Leonsel himself, Gilda had been trying to figure out why she couldn’t use magic the way the others could when they were alive. This led her to discovering a secret about the Celestial Realm, and one that could let her bypass Javed’s barrier.  
Mike returned to his body and stretched a bit. He saw that time was still frozen, but he felt that he was at it for hours. He thought he smelled something coming from either the Kitchen or the Dining Hall. (His brain failed to register that he somehow was in the Office instead of the East Hallway where Charlie tackled him.) Mike felt his mouth watered and his stomach growl. Hoping that Jill would keep time frozen a bit longer, Mike headed to the Dining Hall.  
When he got there, he did not expect what he saw. The ghosts that haunted the five animatronics were there, as well as Carlos, Jill, Leonsel, Maria, Balduino, Samuel, Catherine (who was next to Adam), and his mother Clarissa Afton. Clarissa was cooking up food for everyone and both Chiquita and Carlos were helping out.  
“Hey come on Mike!” Frederick called out, “Why don’t you join us!”  
Mike just couldn’t resist as he dashed over. He asked what was going on and Leonsel admitted that Clarissa just up and decided to cook tonight and was inviting a number of the others. Mike couldn’t help but smile. The whole scene felt a lot warmer than it normally was in the restaurant.  
As a number of the people there were talking to each other, Maria spoke with Clarissa in whispers about Nightmare. Mike could only guess that she already told Balduino as he was looking at the couple, not with a look that indicated a desire to know what was going on, but rather, an understanding of that same scenario.  
Balduino secretly pulled Mike to the side and whispered, “Truth is Mike, Mrs. Afton was hoping to figure out just what Nightmare was doing with the Missing Souls. I’m guessing she hoped to lure Nightmare out with the food, but Maria’s clearing up the situation.”  
“So she told you what she found out?” Mike asked.  
Balduino nodded, “I’m still finding it surprising that Nightmare saw that sort of thing in Maria though. I would’ve expected that sort of comment to go to Frederick since he did mention not being able to take it easy on you because of Javed.”  
Mike then posed a possibility, “Maybe Nightmare didn’t say anything about Frederick because he expected that sort of thing from him, but Maria showing signs of this chessboard mentality caught him by surprise because of the particular robots they haunt, or used to haunt in Maria’s case?”  
Balduino nodded, “You have a point. Freddy is after all the leader of the band normally.”  
Mike remembered the Vessel of Envy was in his pocket as he slipped it to Balduino. Balduino quietly thanked Mike and made sure to stash it in the Realm of Death when he had the chance. The blue-haired male temporarily excused himself to do just that, but then Mike noticed his mother handed Maria some boxes of food. Mike could only guess that she asked Maria to give them to the Missing Souls, for Maria agreed. Mike looked at his cousin. Sure it seemed like she had gotten a load off of her chest by confiding in Balduino about what she was going through (and Maria no longer was trying to deny that the two of them were in a relationship), but it seemed that she still was just a little nervous about going to that place. Mike however was sure that Maria could handle it somehow.  
Meanwhile, Gilda had snuck up to the Celestial Realm. Just as she remembered, there were elevators that could take one from there to any other part of the Realm of Death. “Hang in there, Euthalia,” Gilda spoke before she took the elevator down into the Abyssal Realm.  
When she got down there, she was trying to sense where Euthalia was. Surprisingly it was a lot easier for Gilda in this realm full of Anti-Magic. She realized that Euthalia was being held in the Breaker Room, which was to the west of where she was. It turned out that after Sam had gotten out Euthalia was moved to that room he was in, with the argument being that no one would really try to save her.  
Unfortunately, Gilda made a huge mistake when she entered Ballora Gallery. Not seeing anyone and being too focused on finding Euthalia, Gilda ran through the place, and just as she was about to reach the door, “SCREEEEEEE!”  
Gilda ran straight into someone who was dressed like a ballerina. Before the demon could react, this ballerina, Belle, captured her and Gilda found herself dragged before Javed. The man who ruled the Abyss was amused at how Gilda had the chance to save herself only to gamble it away trying to save Euthalia. Javed decided to be merciful and simply had Gilda locked in the same cell that Euthalia was in. Gilda sighed, “So much for that rescue attempt. How was I to know that his friends were here too?”  
Back in the Office, Mike felt fully energized to get through Night 4, though he still felt saddened when he heard the Phone Call. It matched up exactly with the message he was shown leaving in the flashback. Still, he was focused on getting through the Night, and get through the Night he did.  
The next morning (November 12, 1993), Mike had visited Jessica, only for her to hug him with a mix of worry and amusement. Mike then remembered: Jessica somehow could sense that he died and revived himself, so did that mean that she…  
“Are you alright?” Jessica asked, “Considering how Nightmare had you tied up like that – I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to save you!”  
“It’s okay, Jess. I’m fine,” Mike reassured her, but he was blushing red like a rose; she did somehow sense that.  
However, Mike was alarmed when Jessica told him about her encounter with Nightmare the day before, and that she couldn’t be there because she was trying to do some research.  
Mike then asked, “And what did you find out?”  
Jessica answered, “I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I’m honestly thinking that Nightmare’s a – well, essentially your Shadow Archetype come to life.”  
Mike was shaken up by this thought. Considering how much of a monster he saw in Nightmare, what would that say about him? If this was true, would Jessica really love him knowing this? Did she even deserve someone like him if that was true?  
Mike was so distracted by those questions that he failed to notice Jessica moved closer until she kissed him right on the lips. Moving to his ear, she whispered, “It’s okay Mike. If we’re going to make this work, then I want to love and accept all of you: both the good, and the bad. That’s why I’m not afraid of the one calling himself Nightmare; that’s why I want to know if he is – basically – a part of you that I never knew.”  
Mike couldn’t hold back the tears in his eyes as he hugged Jessica, “Even if I’m a monster?”  
“Even if you’re a monster,” Jessica smiled, “So when you’re ready, don’t hold back, okay?”  
Mike, though reluctant, nodded. He was worried about Jessica’s safety, but at the same time he trusted her. He knew she was one who could handle herself.  
As the couple embraced each other, they both could sense it: they knew Nightmare heard them.  
Later on, Mike spotted Leonsel in the Office and asked if there were going to be more flashbacks. Leonsel sighed, “Sorry Mike. Maria left a note saying that she can’t find any other chips at the moment. In fact, she was thinking that it’d be best for you to finish the week before she tells the rest of it.”  
Mike however noticed something was wrong, “Are you alright Leonsel?”  
Leonsel sighed, “Just a little bit ago, Maria tried to talk to Jill about something, but it seemed like the two were in a disagreement. Jill doesn’t want to talk to me about it though.”  
“Maybe you should give her some time,” Mike suggested, “After all, she might be feeling too riled up to really talk to anyone at the moment.”  
“I hope so,” Leonsel admitted, “I’m just a bit worried. I mean, Nightmare seems to have been a big influence on her; who knows what could be going on…”  
Mike sighed, “About that, Leonsel… I’m sorry.”  
Leonsel was alarmed, “Sorry for what? You didn’t do anything wrong, did you?”  
“It’s a bit complicated to explain right now,” Mike admitted, “but Jessica told me about a hunch she had about him that I think was right on the mark.”  
Leonsel could tell that Mike was shaken up by this as well, “I’ll… not ask about it then. Are you going to be alright?”  
Mike nodded, “Yeah. Truth is, I’m thinking of getting myself fired in a few days.”  
After Mike cleared Night 5, he discovered that he earned a piece of Star Power himself. However, despite staying another night for overtime (earning a second star in the process), Mike was preparing himself to get fired.  
Mike arrived as early as he could, unnoticed. With one Star to use for resetting and a second star to carry some tools, Mike slipped over to the animatronics once he was certain that no one else was in there. When Mike pulled out the tools, he started to work on “adjusting” Bonnie’s AI. Mike only just started to tweak something when Robert leaped out of the robot and shouted, “WHAT IN CAWTHON’S NAME ARE YOU DOING, MIKE SCHMIDT?!”  
Mike covered his ears due to how loud Robert was. In fact, he didn’t even have time to answer before Frederick, Chiquita, and Carlos came out wondering what the commotion was about. Robert then pointed his finger at Mike and asked, “You realize that if you tamper with the bots, you’re going to get fired?!”  
“Are you kidding?” Mike asked, “That’s exactly what I’m counting on. And since I have Star Power now, I can easily reset if you guys catch me, so I don’t have to worry there.”  
Robert, who seemed as much embarrassed as he was furious, then added in a question, “But why?! If you plan to help us out, why are you trying to get out of this?”  
Mike then replied, “First off, there are quite a few things I still don’t understand, and I don’t think I can get any more answers from here. Second, I know my uncles have been through something like this themselves so I plan to ask them about what they knew, as that might give me an idea as to what happened with the other 3 Sins that the murderer was trying to activate. Finally, I’ve… recently hit a bit of a snag in my relationship with Jessica. We agreed to work through it, but I need to make sure nothing extra complicates it. I’m not abandoning you guys.”  
Frederick stated, “I understand Mike. Plus, this is the only way you can get a third Star out of it.”  
Mike chuckled a little. He knew exactly how high he had to ramp it up, but he then asked, “Still Robert, why are you flipping out like this? I’ve never seen you lose your cool like that before.”  
“Well, you see,” Chiquita interjected, “Fritz Smith hacked us all before, boosting us up to the max level. All of us wound up having our servos overloaded by the end of the night. Poor Robert’s been embarrassed about it ever since.”  
“Sorry about that,” Mike replied. He also remembered from the Greed Flashback about how that apparently caused a fire. Hopefully his tampering won’t cause things to fall apart that far.  
“It’s okay,” Robert replied, though Mike could tell the purple-haired teen still wasn’t happy about it.  
Mike checked the time after he finished hacking the main trio. It was 11:30PM, so he raced to Pirate’s Cove to hack into Foxy.  
“Yar har har! That tickles!” Adam hollered as he rolled out of the animatronic.  
Mike was still working at it when he asked, “Do you know if I need to locate Charlotte too?”  
“Don’t waste your time,” Adam replied, “After Fritz hacked our bots, Charlie learned to hide her suit, but as a result can’t be gunning for you like the rest of us. She can still show up on the poster though, so watch out for that.”  
“I don’t need to look at CAM 2B,” Mike declared, “I’ve learned enough about how you guys work by now.”  
Adam snickered, “We’ll see about that Mike. Sure was fun having you here.”  
Mike nodded. After he finished tampering with Foxy, Mike immediately raced into the Office. For a moment, he thought about using his Star Power to see if it was possible to juice up the generators so that he wouldn’t have to worry about losing power at all. Ultimately, Mike decided not to. After all, if Star Power is earned by pulling off achievements, wouldn’t using magic to cheat his way through negate the feat?  
Nightmare, just for kicks, shouted just before the stroke of midnight, “IT’S GOLDEN SHOWTIME!”  
Mike paid no attention to the somewhat random yet appropriate line as the bots started coming fast and furious.  
Meanwhile, Jessica was in her house working on some more designs for her Deadly Sins fashion line idea when she suddenly set that aside to start tallying up how many times Mike reset because of tampering with the bots leading to Game Over after Game Over. Eventually she got tired and fell asleep, but Nightmare just so happened to have been counting as well from where he was hiding in Mike’s shadow.  
It was a long struggle, but on attempt #421, Mike finally survived the challenge. Needless to say, of all the Stars Mike earned, this third Star shined the brightest of all so far.  
On the other hand, as he was talking with the manager regarding the pizzeria, Mike learned that this was actually the final night the restaurant was going to be open.  
“I just can’t bring myself to risk another life,” the manager wept. He realized that Mike somehow found out the truth about Phone Guy. Mike didn’t say anything, but he wondered how the animatronics still were functioning despite what he was told about the servos overloading. As Mike took note of the reasons for being fired, the manager shook his head with an amused grin, “Before you ask, I was just going through the motions with the other two reasons. All that adrenaline plus biking to work sure works up a sweat, doesn’t it?”  
“Yeah. Sure does,” Mike replied. Still, for a moment, the manager had to wonder if he saw a sparkle in Mike’s Mist-Blue eyes – the kind of sparkle he only saw in those like Jeremy Fitzgerald and Fritz Smith. Then again, those two raised Mike so maybe that explains it.  
As Mike left the Pizzeria, he suddenly realized that he’d have to explain this to his uncles. Maybe he hadn’t thought this through? Mike’s thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly felt a little dizzy, as though something was trying to grip at him.  
“Why now?!” Mike quietly cursed himself. He fought back this unusual fatigue as long as he could as he raced home as fast as he could. When he got there, he didn’t even take a moment to greet Fritz who was having breakfast before the brunette dashed up to the bathroom. Fritz noticed the pink slip Mike dropped and looked it over.  
Jeremy came in as Fritz was looking over the paper. The blonde noticed it and asked, “Mike set the bots to max?”  
“I guess so,” Fritz replied, “He seems to have gotten a third star.”  
Jeremy nodded, but he sensed that something was wrong. Jeremy went upstairs to check on Mike (who already finished using the restroom and locked himself in his room) but he then overheard the following:  
“Oh come on! I only just finished up one of the hardest nights of all! Do you really think it’d be a good idea to barge in like that?!”  
“Hey, think of this as a chance to take a break from everyday life, Michael.”  
“I swear, if you try to pull anything on Jessica-”  
“I promise you, nothing will harm her.”  
Jeremy’s eyes widened. This had to have been Nightmare, but what was going on?  
“Mike, is everything okay?” Jeremy asked after knocking on the door.  
Mike jumped at the sound and dashed over while Nightmare hid in the man’s shadow.  
“Oh, hey Jeremy,” Mike replied, “Listen, there’s a chance I might be acting off starting next week. It’s a long story.”  
End Of Tale

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Notes  
> • Okay, just to point this out: The whole suspicion of Nightmare being Mike’s Shadow Archetype was originally going to be a plot twist revealed in Chronicle 9. However, I think it’s my own fault for going too far with the foreshadowing what with how much attention Nightmare had gotten.  
> o On the other hand, these sorts of unexpected results are actually part of what makes writing these Chronicles so fun for me.  
> o While I do make an outline for each Chronicle, I don’t constantly look back at them as I’m writing the story itself.  
> o In that sense, it gives me the chance to at least pretend that the characters are acting of their own volition instead of just blindly following my will as the writer, and that my having to adapt to them as much as their actions are influenced by my writing lets me feel like I’m part of the action without directly inserting myself beyond those bits in the background and the occasional self-jab.  
>  Truth is, I think that’s been a concern I had when I was originally figuring out the story.  
>  Back when I was just thinking of how the story went before remaking it into the Chronicles, there was one part that I basically inserted myself into to push the story in a specific direction. Part of the challenge I’m trying to set for myself here is to see if I can avoid using that self-insert for stuff beyond the things in the background and adding exposition when needed.  
> o On the other hand, I sometimes have jokingly thought to myself that Mike as a protagonist might be out of control.  
>  From what I’ve understood of Mike as I’m writing him is that he’s the type who tries to figure things out ahead of the plot.  
>  On the one hand, I really like it as I don’t think he’s the type of protagonist who’s easily tricked.  
>  On the other hand, it is frustrating as sometimes I have an idea that I want to save for a later Chronicle only for him (and/or others close to him like Jessica) to let the cat out of the bag ahead of schedule.  
> • As for the whole siblings thing, that was a leftover from the Original version of the song where I really did imagine Phone Guy and the other Envy Victims being actual siblings. Once I settled on the idea of tying the four victims before Phone Guy to FNaF4 that caused that part of the lyrics to lose its meaning.  
> • In case you haven’t noticed, yes, Umineko has become a bit of an influence on the Ten Deadly Chronicles. I had gotten curious about that series and although I’ve only really looked at it via TV tropes, the wiki, and some of the songs, I think you can see how much of an impact it’s been having. ^.^;  
> • As for how Javed and Nightmare both knew about things that were ahead of their time – that was my fault. Javed when he was doing his shenanigans to create the Hacked Stars also found out about the various groups of animatronics outside the fourth wall but didn’t think about the time discrepancy. Luckily for him, Maria had no idea about that until after the fact.  
> • In Nightmare’s case, he was visiting the Celestial Realm at times… which happened to have allowed him to peek outside the Fourth Wall, which allowed him to find out about Umineko, and yes, while it’s not a full crossover and might not be too faithful to the source material, this is likely going to affect future Chronicles. I do confess though that looking at it, I feel bad, as I don’t want to offend any Umineko fans because of these influences. If I may list some of the influences that have happened to this point here just to emphasize the impact:  
> o The chess references Nightmare was making  
>  Speaking of which: yes, Nightmare already suspected Frederick had that sort of potential which is why he never made any such comments towards him.  
>  As was pointed out in the Chronicle, he didn’t expect Maria to act in such a way too.  
> o The game that Nightmare and Jill played together is based on that whole “prove this can be done without magic” aspect of Umineko  
>  However, just to clarify, Nightmare (like myself) hasn’t been able to look too much into Umineko himself but in his case it’s partially because he’s limited by how Umineko wasn’t released yet in his universe.  
>  As a result, Nightmare's and Jill's attempts at this "Mystery Game" just devolve into storytelling sessions.


End file.
